One for the Band
by Falaphesian
Summary: Now complete! Sora would probably do anything Riku asked of him. But when his friend wants him to try out for the school's color guard, well, that's pushing things a little far. RikuSora and LeonCloud..eventually.
1. What Self Image?

            Well, here's that weird idea I got during a dream I had a while back while sleeping on top of my laptop during my little Polka Dots and Ribbons writing spree.  ^^  It's probably destined to be more of a random humorous thing rather then actual Riku Sora lovin', but I'm reeeally not sure yet.  It'll also probably end up being longer then my previous little fic, so I probably won't rush the ending quite as much when I get there!  

            That all having been said, time for the ... total randomness.

            Oh yes, and in case no one knew, Riku, Sora, Tidus... etc... Kingdom Hearts and all related characters are not mine.  XP  I just like poking them and watching them twitch.

.......................................   

**One for the Band - Chapter One**

'What Self Image?'

            Sora cautiously lifted the spoon from his bowl, making a face.  Nope, there was no saving that ice cream now.  All that was left of his earlier sundae was now just a mush of sticky ice cream soup.  

            "Sora, what are you..?  Oh no, not ice cream for breakfast _again_?"

            Looking up from his bowl, Sora noticed his mother standing in the doorway to the kitchen, pinning her hair back into a loose bun and frowning at her son.  Sora shared the same brilliant blue eyes and chocolate hair his mother had, though his heart shaped face gave him the babyish appearance that Bryna's slender and elegant frame didn't.  

            "Last time you had ice cream for breakfast, Skippy died.  Have you been keeping another pet I don't know about?"  Bryna laughed and moved over to where Sora was sitting at the small kitchen table, swiping his bowl away from him before he could object.

            Instantly slapping his trademark pout on his face, Sora glowered up at his mother, seemingly agitated that she couldn't read his mind just to keep him from the trouble of having to respond.  "Riku's birthday is in two weeks and I have nothing to give 'im."

            "Aww, why not just give him yourself?"  Bryna winked slyly at her son as she put the bowl and spoon into the dishwasher, well aware of Sora's more-then-friendly feelings towards his friend.  "He'd looooove that.  Oooh, wouldn't that be just romantic, Sora?"

            "...Sora?  Sweetie?"

            Rolling her eyes, Bryna placed her hands on her hips, now in an empty kitchen.  

            "I swear that boy is the dumbest thing..."

            Sora had darted silently out of the kitchen as soon as his mother as brought up the topic, shoulder his backpack in the hallway and creeping out the front door.  _I knew it was a mistake telling her_.  No, Bryna had yet to give up badgering her son about his affections, constantly scheming ways to get the two of them together.  Very un-motherly behavior as far as Sora was concerned, but then again, this was _his_ mother.  

            "Soraaaa!  Hey, Sooooorrrrraaaaa!"

            The boy unconsciously cringed as he was pelted by the small hyper ball known as Selphie.  Bouncing in circles around Sora, Selphie babbled mindlessly about... something.  As usual, the girl was talking so fast Sora couldn't pick up a single word of what she was saying and looked towards Kairi, who had shown up behind Selphie, for clarification.

            Kairi giggled and shook her head as Selphie's antics, falling into step beside Sora as they began the normal procession towards school.  

            "She's excited about the first color guard practice after school today.  We both decided we'd try out this year and practices are starting up two weeks before the actual tryouts so all the girls know the routine and everything."

            Sora merely nodded his understanding, unable to comment further as Selphie continued to babble, though now at a slower pace so that she was at least understandable.

            "Uh huh, uh huh!  And we're sooo gonna make the guard!  Hehehe!  It's not as if there's much to choose from anyway, ya know!  No one tries out for the guard, so totally because they couldn't spin a pencil, much less a flag.  Ooooh, I'm gonna kick some serious _ass_, Sora!  You should come to tryouts!  Oh, you should come to practice too!  You can see how _good Kairi and I are gonna be!  We're so totally gonna rule!  Hehehe!"_

            Unconsciously backing away from Selphie, Sora laughed nervously.  "Ye-ah, I'll bet, Selph.  Go get 'em."

            "Whoooooo!"

            Sora felt a light tug on his hair and wheeled around to face Riku, who was grinning at him.  "You shouldn't encourage her, Sora."

            Laughing, Sora batted Riku's hand away from his hair.  The four of them continued their walk to the high school, though by the time they got there, three of those four were seriously consider slamming their heads against bricks.  

            "_Selphie, please!  _Shut up_!"_

           "Awww, Riku, you're no fun!"  Selphie stomped her foot angrily as the group entered the main hallway of the school, an angry pout now adorning her cute face.

            Turning to Riku, Sora mimicked Selphie gleefully, taking full pleasure in making fun of their hyperactive friend.  "Yeaah, Riku.  Why are you always so meeean?  You got something against color guard?"  His own bottom lip jutting out into a pout, Sora peered up at Riku through his thick eyelashes, the entire act resulting in Selphie's outraged squeak.

            The warning bell rang loudly throughout the school, the four of them splitting into two separate groups, Riku and Sora headed for gym while Kairi and Selphie headed for their creative writing class.

            "Hey, hold up one second, Sora, I gotta go drop this off in the band room."  

            Sora stood idly in the main hallway, watching his friend disappearing into the adjacent band hall.  The hallway in itself was a complete mystery to Sora, who had never really been musically gifted and so had never even set foot in the hall.  Even though the warning bell had already rung, there were still clumps of older kids lazing around in the band hall, seemingly oblivious to the school's standard chaos outside of it.  Cocking his head to the side, Sora wondered what would happen if he even _tried walking in there.  __I'd probably hit an invisible force field.  The thought didn't really seem that absurd, actually, since the atmosphere the hall contained was so... different._

            Riku returned minutes later, waving to someone behind him as he headed out of the hallway, his trumpet case no longer in hand.  Raising an eyebrow at Sora's vacant expression, Riku passed a hand over his friends eyes.  "Hey there, Sora, you home?"

            Shaking his head, hair flying about as a result, Sora's eyes snapped up to blink at Riku before he grinned.  "Yeah, yeah, I'm here, I'm here.  I was just waiting for you."

            "Well if you wait much longer, we'll be late for gym.  Blitzball today, you ready for it?"

            Sora's grin only widened at the prospect of playing the game in gym.  Though he'd never considered himself anywhere near good enough to try out for the school's blitz team, the game was still fun, especially when pitted against people who had no clue how to play the game in the first place.  Tidus had ensured that both Riku and Sora learn the basics of the game when Sora had only been six.  Of course, this was the same Tidus who had climbed his way up to star of the high school's blitzball team, even though he was only a sophomore.  

            Filing into the locker room with the other students ten minutes later, Sora poked Riku in the ribs.  His mother's words from earlier that morning still on his mind, Sora decided to bring up the whole birthday thing, maybe even being able to wheedle a gift idea out of Riku if he was lucky.  

            "So you never told me whatcha wanted for your sweet seventeenth, Ri-ku..."

            "Sora, it's sweet _sixteenth_, not the seventeenth."

            "Whatever.  You're avoiding the question."

            Riku groaned as the two boys began unlocking the small gym lockers, still talking to Sora as he spun the dial on his lock to enter the correct combination.  "I told you I'd tell you if I thought of anything.  I mean, I've got everything I need, right?  I don't need clothes, I don't need a car... uh, not that I'd want you to go buy me one anyway... I don't need shoes, a new trumpet, or anything."

            There was silence a moment as a smile grew on Sora's face.  

            Removing his shirt to change into his gym uniform, Sora didn't make eye contact with his friend next to him as he said, "You forgot the idea bit."

            Tugging his own shirt over his head, Riku blinked back at Sora.  "Huh?"

            "You've been giving me the same speech for, hmm, let's see, nearly a whole week now.  And after you say you don't need anything, you're then supposed to say," Sora deepened his voice in an impression of his older friend, furrowing his eyebrows together in an attempt to look imposing.  "'I'm completely out of ideas, Sora!'"

            Riku grinned as they both finished dressing out, bending down to tie up his shoelace.  Looking over at Sora, the back of Riku's mind made a harmless comment about how girly Sora's legs were.  Opening his mouth to joke about it, Riku then thought better of the statement on the tip of his tongue, and quickly shifted gears back to the current issue at hand.

            "I'm surprised you remembered, Sora!  This all from the same kid who couldn't remember his two-times tables until he was in the fourth grade."  Wrapping an arm around Sora's waist, Riku ruffled his already messy brown hair with his other hand, laughing.  "My little baby's all grown up!"

            "Augh!  Cut it out, Riku!"

            Thankfully, Riku didn't seem to notice the blush that had momentarily made itself clear all over Sora's face. 

            ~~~~~~~

            Several hours later, Sora happily plopped down to sit at the lunch table surrounded by the same old gang.  Riku sat next to him, Tidus and Wakka across from them (deep in discussion about blitzball practice that afternoon, no doubt), and Kairi and Selphie on his other side.  All in all, lunch was always his favorite time of the day, not just because of the food, but also because it was one of the few times during weekdays when he and his friends were all together. 

            Though it looked as though Selphie still hadn't gotten over the first color guard practice of that afternoon...

            "Eeee!  I'm so excited!  Only three hours and twenty three minutes 'til I finally get to get my hands on one of those shiny flags!"  Bouncing up and down in her chair, it was a wonder that Selphie was able to now choke on the soda she then gulped down.

            Riku groaned and leaned his elbows on the table, cradling his chin in his clasped hands.  "Will you just get over it already, Selphie?  Honestly, it's not like it's a challenge to get into color guard.  They'd take practically anybody, their group is so small.  Besides.  Twirling a flag.  Big whoop."

            Kairi cut in before Selphie could bash Riku up one side and down the other with her more then sour commentary.  "You know, Riku, it really _does_  seem like you've got something against the guard."

            "You know, it's funny, but I could've sworn Riku was putting down the color guard..."

            Sora, who had previously been listening to the conversation with half an ear, now turned to see who the new speaker was standing behind Riku.  Yuffie stood there, arms crossed in front of her, practically glaring daggers down at the silver haired boy in front of her.  Though Yuffie was as innocent and bouncy as Selphie was, she was also a junior like Riku, as well as a member of last year's guard.  Probably not the smartest move on Riku's part to anger the girl, though judging by Riku's smile, he seemed to have come up with a plan to wiggle himself out of any grudges Yuffie might hold.

            "Yuffie!  Nice running into you, ne?  I was just talking to _Sora here about the color guard tryouts Selphie keeps talking about."_

            Always one to support dear Riku in his time of need, Sora grinned and played along.  "Yep!  Riku has nothing but admiration for the girls on the color guard!  I mean, obviously, ya know, since he's in band and all, and the two practically work side by--"

            "And you know what I think, Yuffie?  Well I was just talking to Sora, and don't you think he'd be a _great addition to the color guard?"_

            Well **that was unexpected.  Sora's eyes widened as he turned to look at Riku, trying to catch his eye to wordlessly ask, 'What the hell are you _doing???'  However, Riku didn't break eye contact with Yuffie, nor did he seem to notice that the entire table was now staring at Sora.  __Craaaap._**

            Yuffie blinked in surprise, her scornful attitude gone as she studied Sora.  Looking back and forth from Riku to Sora, Yuffie then began laughing.  Really, really hard.  Clutching her sides from the laughter, Yuffie finally got control of herself, and was able to speak clearly, though there were several fits of giggles.

            "_Sora?  Riku, there hasn't been a boy on guard in...  Well I don't think our color guard has ever had a guy on it!  Hahahaha!  Ohhh, that's __priceless, Riku, just priceless!  Sora!  Hehehehe!"_

            Sora narrowed his eyes.  Just what was so funny?  Had he completely missed something??

            "Actually, Yuffie, Sora's quite serious about coming to that practice you're all holding this afternoon, aren't you Sora?"

            Sora was a deer caught in headlights.  What exactly was he supposed to say?  Riku then reached over behind Sora, stealing the brownie from the boy's lunch tray, at the same time placing his mouth right up against Sora's ear.

            "Try out and I'll make it worth your while."  The words could barely be heard, even by Sora who was already so close to Riku's voice.

            Hardly able to keep himself from casting a confused look at his friend, Sora wasn't able to keep his eyes from widening even further as he felt a jolt run up through his body.  What is Riku who had just said that?  

            "I... er..."

            _'Try out and I'll make it worth your while.'  No way does Riku mean that the way I think he means that...  Sora snapped back into reality, only to find himself looking up at an expectant looking Yuffie.  Okay, obviously the girl wanted some sort of confirmation from Sora about Riku's absolutely insane declaration.  _

            "Umm... yeah."  He forced a grin on his face.  "Can't wait 'til this afternoon?"

            And obviously that was enough for Yuffie, for the girl then burst into more laughter and this time she wasn't alone.  Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka were all doubled over in laughter, and even Kairi couldn't stop a giggle from escaping her mouth.  No doubt this small and seemingly harmless bit of information would be gossip feed for the entire school within the hour, especially with both Yuffie and Selphie present.  

            Inwardly kicking himself for having played along with Riku's stupid game, Sora gave Riku a small glare, only to receive a triumphant smirk in return.  How exactly had he gotten himself shoved into this position again?  ...Oh, that was right.  The idea of possibly engaging in the horizontal tango with Riku was far too appealing for Sora to brush off Riku's promise of 'making it worth his while.'  Nonetheless, that didn't change the fact that Sora was now expected to show up at some ridiculous color guard practice.  He didn't know the first thing about spinning a flag, nor was he exactly dying to find out.

            After everyone had slowly drifted away from lunch (all of them still chuckling at the thought of Sora spinning a flag), Sora turned on Riku with a vengeance.

            "What the hell was that about?"  Sora narrowed his eyes at his friend as they both stood up from the lunch table, grabbing their backpacks from off of the ground.

            "What the hell was what about, Sora?"  Riku fixed the younger boy with an innocent grin.  

            "You don't really expect me to try out, do you?  And what did you mean by--?"

            "You're right, Sora, I don't expect you to try out, I expect you to make it onto the color guard."

            Sora scowled, jogging to catch up with the silver haired boy who was already moving on to his next class.  Could Riku possibly be more confusing if he even tried?  Sora couldn't tell if Riku was teasing him, or what he was doing, but he had absolutely no clue as to how to respond.

            Riku smiled secretively as he turned to Sora outside the door of his next class.  "As for what I meant by it, you're just going to have to wait a while to find out, now aren't you?"  Tugging on one of the messy spikes of Sora's hair, Riku grinned and said, "See you when you get home from guard practice Sora."

            ~~~~~~~

            It must have been drizzling rain sometime during the school hour, for when Sora found himself being dragged out to the blacktop that afternoon by Kairi and Selphie, he was easily pulled across the slick surface of the blacktop, his yellow sneakers hardly providing enough traction to help him any.  

            "Haha!  Told you he'd show, Quisty!"  Yuffie was already out on the blacktop, as well as several other junior girls, most of whom Sora had never even seen before.  The girl Yuffie seemed to be addressing as Quisty turned around, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at Sora.

            Gulp.

            Yuffie bounced over to Sora, Kairi, and Selphie, waving cheerfully.  "Heya, kiddies!"  Over her shoulder she called the small handful of girls over.  "Hey, lookit!  Didn't I _tell_ you guys there was gonna be a boy on the guard this year!  Look, look, look!  Isn't he adorable??"

            Quistis studied Sora through her small glasses, her lips puckering into a small frown of disapproval.  Her blond hair had been dragged back into an organized bun, all held together by a large black clip.  It wasn't so much that Quistis looked threatening.  Rather, she just _felt threatening, boring into poor Sora with her cold stare before acknowledging Selphie and Kairi with a small nod of approval._

            _Great, I haven't even touched a damn flag an it's already hell._

            Quistis then raised her voice just loud enough so that the small group of girls... and Sora... could hear.

            "Okay, well, welcome to your first practice for the upcoming tryouts.  It's good to see you girls!  I'm your captain, Quistis, since captain tryouts were held at the end of last year.  Everyone wanna introduce themselves to the new kids?"

            Sora made a mental note to accidentally hit the 'captain' in the head with a flag as soon as he got the chance.  The term 'girls' would have to go.  The last thing Sora needed on top of everything else was being referred to as 'girl.'  

            So it was that the girls assembled there introduced themselves.  Not surprisingly, Sora didn't know any of them, though he'd recognized a few as some of Kairi and Selphie's older friends.  Rikku (the exact opposite of _his Riku, personality wise) was no less hyper then either Yuffie or Selphie, her thick blond ponytail swishing back and forth as she made sure to shake Sora's hand particularly enthusiastically.  Paine, the only other senior besides Quistis, had a quiet and reserved manner, though everything about the darkly clad girl just emitted responsibility and trust.  Instantly, Sora had to wonder why it was that Paine hadn't been made captain over Quistis._

            _Not like I care anyway.  I'm not exactly going to be on the color guard at all.  But then there had been Riku's promise..._

            Other members of the color guard consisted of Yuna and Aeris, both rather shy but nonetheless nice girls, as well as Rinoa, Ashe, and a rather gothic looking girl named Lulu.  Lulu was probably short for something, though Sora wasn't even going to bother guessing what.  It wasn't that he had problems with anyone of the girls, well, except Quistis' imposing dislike of him, and were it not for the fact that he would rather shove his left foot in a blender than be on the color guard, it looked to be a fun group of girls.  Plus Sora.

            "Well then, let's get down to business!" Rikku cheered happily, punching her fist up into the air energetically as Yuffie appeared rolling out a large bin of practice flags, patched up in several placed where the fabric had seen better days.  The two happily saw to handing out the flags and when Yuffie finally handed Sora one of the many flags, she grinned and spoke to him in a lowered voice so Quistis was just out of ear shot.

            "Don't worry about Quisty, Sora.  If you really wanna make the team, there's like, no way she can stop you!  You can do this, I totally have a good feeling about it!"

           Sora couldn't help but smile at the dark haired girl as she moved on to doling out flags to Selphie and Kairi.  All right, it was good to know that he wasn't the only one picking up the "I'm going to work you 'til you die, boy" vibes from Quistis.  Looking down at the long flag he now held in his hands Sora blinked.  He somehow had the feeling that he was going to need more then just Yuffie's good wishes to pull this off.  

            _But what am I even pulling it off for?  Dammit all, Riku..._

            ~~~~~

           Flinging open the door to his room, Sora tossed the practice flag half heartedly to the ground alongside his backpack.  Storming over to his bed, Sora pulled a pillow off, plopped down on the mattress, and screamed for all he was worth into the pillow's surface.

            Guard practice was the most difficult thing he'd ever found himself trying to do.  Bruises he'd gotten when playing blitzball paled in comparison to the whacks he'd been dealt by his own aluminum pole during only one two hour practice session.  What's worse was that Sora still didn't understand himself and why he was willing to do all this.  Yes, Riku had told him he'd make it worth his while, but what the hell was that supposed to mean anyway?

            What the hell had he dragged himself into?

...........................................................

            Ooooh, I'm quite happy with the length of this chapter.  ^^;;  Reviews would be great, especially here since I want to see if I'm headed in the right direction with this idea.  Umm, in case anyone doesn't know what a color guard is (I've met several people who don't, really), they're the part of the marching band which provides for a big chunk of the whole visual production of it all.  ...A.k.a, the flag-twirly-people.  Or, me!  Yep, I'm a member of my school's color guard as well as the one-girl search team for a male edition to the color guard.  =__=  Too bad I'll probably graduate before I ever get the chance to get a guy on guard.

            As always, though, thanks for reading!  The next chapter should be posted shortly, now that things are finally returning to their good normal self around here.

~Ori


	2. Can You Keep a Secret?

            o__o  Eeek.  I now realize the importance of re-reading fics before posting them.  Ehehehe.  I'll repost chapter one when I get around to fixing it.  ...So... many... spelling/grammar mistakes.  *keels over*  

            Thanks to everyone who reviewed!  Now on to chapter two!  The same disclaimers and everything still apply, you know the drill.  Kingdom Hearts is not mine.  Sadly.  ^^

.......................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Two**

'Can You Keep a Secret?'

            Sora's rickety thought process was suddenly interrupted by a gentle tap on his shoulder.  Yelping and tearing the pillow away from his face, Sora wheeled around to find Riku standing behind him, an amused grin lighting up his face.  Bryna must have let him in while Sora was busy taking out his confusion/frustration/embarrassment on the poor pillow in his hands.  Sora glared at Riku in an attempt to be cold and icy, but all attempts fell flat when he really looked at Riku's face.  

            "I told you I'd come over after your little color guard practice, didn't I?"

            Sora's scowl deepened as he clutched he pillow to his chest.  "Well _next_ time you're coming, you could _try_ making some _noise_ so I know you're--"  Riku burst into laughter at Sora's poor wording skills.  Realizing what he'd just said, Sora's blue eyes widened and he let out a muffled squeak as a deep red blush covered his face.

            Riku winked, enjoying every moment of Sora's obvious discomfort.  "I'll be sure to do that, Sora, don't you worry!"

            Gritting his teeth, Sora then tossed the pillow aimlessly onto his bed.  "Ugh, why can I never stay _mad at you, Riku?"_

            Still chuckling, Riku made himself comfortable sitting next to Sora on the bed and tugged a strand of the younger boy's hair playfully.  "Well, it's either because it's impossible for you to stay mad at _me_, or color guard practice wasn't the hell your little outburst just made it seem."  A smirk on his mouth, Riku raised an eyebrow at his friend next to him, who merely let out an aggravated sigh before flopping onto his back on the bed.

            "Well I guess it's that first one, because the _last_ thing I want to do is go to another practice."  Pulling his head off the mattress for a moment, Sora gave Riku a questioning look.  "I don't even know why I'm doing this, anyway!  You could always tell me how you're gonna make it up to me so _I could decide if it'd be worth it, ya know.  On top of that--"_

            "Can't you just take my word for it?"

            Sora thought it over for about two seconds before sighing in defeat, letting his head fall back onto the bed and closing his eyes.  It frustrated him when it seemed like he was so easy to read while Riku seemed to keep all his secrets so well guarded.  Sora winced as a bitter thought crossed his mind.  _What if he **knows **I like him and he's just doing all this to embarrass me??  The thought was quickly banished though, Sora's common sense telling him that Riku, despite his constant teasing of the younger boy, would never do that to him._

            Riku's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as the boy flopped down next to him on the bed, both boys staring at the ceiling as Riku said, "So, you trust me, right Sora?"

            "...Yeah..."

            "So don't worry about it."  Sora could almost _hear Riku's satisfied grin._

            "But why do you want me to be on color guard in the first place?"

            "You've always wanted to go in the band hall, right?"  Riku sat up then, looking down at his friend.

            Sora blinked.  It was true that he'd never been in there... And he'd always been jealous with the bond that all people in the marching band seemed to have.  The color guard was also given lockers at the far end of the band hall, and all in all it seemed like that hallway just housed one huge extended family Sora had never been a part of.  Perhaps Riku was just trying to get his friend a place to belong in the high school, a place he'd been denied due to his apparent lack of skills.

            It wasn't that Sora couldn't do anything.  The boy was decent at singing, he knew how to play blitzball, he wasn't a horrible artist, he could hold his ground in a debate, basketball game, and numerous other activities, but he was just 'okay.'  It took 'great' and 'amazing' to get far in the school's extra-curricular activities, but it seemed to Sora that color guard wouldn't even make it onto his list of things he was just okay at.  He could hardly do the simplest spins with the practice flag, and in just that one practice alone Quistis had seemed to single him out and point out every little thing he did wrong.

            "So, wanna show me what you guys did today then?"

            "Augh!  No!  I'd hit you!  I'd probably break a window or accidentally kill somebody!" Sora sat up and looked at Riku in alarm at the very idea.  Riku merely laughed and stood up from the bed, looking down at Sora over his shoulder.

            "Alright, alright.  Just wanted to see how you're 'coping' and all.  See you bright and early tomorrow, Sora."

~~~~~~~

            It was probably nearing eleven thirty or so when Sora crept out the back door into the small backyard.  The trademark palm trees of the island acted as makeshift boundaries between the small houses, sand and grass filling the backyards.  Behind him, Sora dragged the battered old practice flag.  He didn't exactly know what had driven him outside in the dark to practice.  He supposed that it was his own pride that had him out there then.  The last thing he would let himself do is make a fool of himself at the next day's practice after school.  Quistis would probably still be finding reasons to bash the poor boy, but he wasn't going to have a repeat of that day's poor performance.

            Wait... since when had Sora started actually caring what those girls thought of him?  Especially Quistis!  The girl seemed to constantly have a ten foot pole shoved up her ass.  Sora laughed out loud at the thought, thankful again for the emptiness of the night.  

            However it wasn't as empty as he'd thought.

            Motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.  The house behind his own wasn't asleep as he'd thought.  Squinting his eyes to make out who it was sitting out on the porch, Sora blinked in realization.  He knew he'd seen Paine somewhere before when he'd seen her that afternoon!  Wondering for a moment why he'd never really noticed the older girl all that much, he instantly picked up his own answer.

            Paine had moved to the island late last year and wasn't exactly what one would call the most outgoing individual.  He remembered from his freshman year also seeing her once or twice in the hallway, usually surrounded by some boy who was blatantly flirting with her.  The girl always seemed to have dismissed their attentions with the quirk of an eyebrow or a sharp sarcastic comment, eventually driving most of the male population of her grade away from her.

            He then realized that Paine was actually _chuckling_ (and at Sora, nonetheless) from her seat on the porch.  Frowning, Sora walked a few steps forward, the flag still hanging loosely from his hand.  "What's so funny?"

            Looking up, the gray haired girl surveyed the younger boy with crimson eyes.  "You're practicing _now?"_

            "Well _yeah...  I mean, no.  I..."_

            "Give it up... Sora, was it?"

            "Yeah."

            "You can't practice in the dark."  Paine dropped her previously mocking air and stood up from the small folding chair she'd been occupying, crossing her arms in front of her.  "In case you didn't notice, it's more then a little hard to see out here."

            Sora scowled, realizing how stupid his idea of practicing at that hour had been in the first place.  "So what are you doing out here then?"

            Paine was quiet for a long moment and Sora guessed she was probably debating whether or not she felt like wasting her time talking to some goofy underclassman.  Finally, she spoke, her deep voice contemplative.  "I always come out here at this time of night.  You're the one who's a stranger here, Sora."

            With a sigh, the boy plopped onto the ground, pulling the flag into his lap and fiddling with its fabric idly.  It seemed as though he was a stranger everywhere he went, even though he'd lived on the island all his life.  How was it that _Paine, anti-social as she was, managed to adjust and find her place whereas Sora was still bumbling around after all the years he'd spent living there?_

            Paine didn't make any effort to fill the silence, leaving Sora to look around in discomfort.  Why had he come over here again?  Paine had been laughing, but...

            "Do you think.... Do you think you could help me, Paine?"

            Turning back to look at Sora, Paine cocked her head slightly in interest at the boy's words.  "Help you what?"

           Sora pulled the flag out of his lap and leaned one end of it on the ground, resting his against the cool metal of the pole.  "I need to learn how to do this stuff."

            Paine snorted and walked over to where Sora was sitting bending down to look at the boy.  He was interesting, yes, but the moment she'd seen his obvious discomfort at that afternoon's practice, Paine knew there was some alternate reason Sora was going out for the color guard.  

            "Okay, Sora, what is it?  A bet or something?"

            "N-no..."  Sora bit his bottom lip.  Paine was obviously not going to help him unless she had an answer... And he couldn't shake the feeling that the girl would just _know_ if he lied to her.  "It's not a bet.  Well... I don't think so.  I'm doing it because Riku wants me to."  There.  It was the truth, not the whole truth, but Sora didn't see why Paine would have to know the little bitty details.  Such as what is was that Riku had _said_ that had gotten Sora into this position.

            "Rikku?"  Paine blinked in surprise, her eyebrows knitting together.  "I... didn't know you knew her."  Paine broke away from her locked gaze with Sora.  Surprised at the sudden flare of emotion Paine had put into her short, clipped words, Sora was slightly taken aback and paused a moment before correcting her.

            "Er, no!  I mean, not that Rikku.  My friend Riku... he's a guy."  

            A weight seemed to be lifted off of Paine's shoulders and Sora half expected her to sigh in relief.  Instead she turned back around, dropping yet again into her short clipped voice, all previous trace of her emotion gone.  "So you're only doing this because Riku wants you to?"  She made it sound so stupid!  Well, okay, perhaps it had sounded like a lame excuse the way Sora had put it.  But the last thing he really felt like doing was telling this total stranger about his more-then-friendly feelings towards his best friend.  

            "No!  He said he'd--" Sora caught himself, clapping a hand over his mouth to stop the words from spilling out.  Hadn't he just told himself he wasn't going to tell Paine about all this?  He hardly knew the stupid girl anyway and here he was about to blab his deepest, darkest secret to her!  Yet some part of him wondered if that fact alone was enough to convince him to tell her.  He had no previous relation with Paine, so she might not have a biased opinion...

            "It's okay to feel that way about him, Sora."

            Sora felt his heart stop as his eyes widened.  Was it that easy to see?!

            "Ah..."

            Paine chuckled, standing up and walking away from Sora, looking up at the night sky.  There was something about her that just seemed so knowing, Sora wasn't as upset as he felt he should be.  "It really isn't that hard to figure, Sora.  It's not a bad thing, though."

           Sora glared and stood up, wrapping both hands around the flag as he addressed Paine, who still had her back to him.  "How can you say it's not a bad thing?  You make it seem like it's _normal_ or something to fall head over heels in love with your best friend, who, of course, is the same sex as you!  It's not... It's not supposed to happen, is it?  How can you make it seem like no big deal?"

            Turning her head to be able to see the boy out of the corner of her eye, Paine mentally rolled her eyes.  Sora seemed like a sweet kid, but he was also pretty dense. 

            "Because I have the same feelings as you do for Rikku."

            "WHAT?!"

            "Not your Riku.  Rikku."

            "...You mean, the gi--"

            "Yes, Sora, the _girl_ Rikku."

            Well. That certainly explained a lot.  Sora had felt like slamming the flag against Paine's head when she'd said Rikku, but now that he knew that she had been speaking of Rikku and not Riku...  Utterly confusing himself, Sora made a mental note to figure out some way it would be possible to differentiate between the two.

            "I... didn't know, I'm sorry."

            Paine turned back around to face Sora and chuckled.  "If I'd wanted you to know, I'm sure I'd really care.  You said you wanted help, right?"  Sora looked up at the girl, also noting how much taller than him she was.  _Well, what's one more blow to my ego?  Sora nodded in response to Paine's question.  The girl walked over to the side of her house, flipping on a light switch, illuminating the porch.  Reaching out for the practice flag still clutched in Sora's hands, Paine nodded once._

            "All right, then.  Let's get started."

~~~~~

            Having slept through half of his classes that day, Sora wasn't all that tired by the time he once again appeared on the blacktop.  He couldn't tell if he was reluctant about having to go through the entire ordeal again, or if he actually felt a small satisfaction that he had greatly improved since the day before.  The late night practice session with Paine had helped more then Sora could ever have thought possible and Paine was a patient teacher when it came to color guard.  She had shown him the basic spin moves that had been gone over at yesterday's practice and he'd mastered them surprisingly fast, finding that it wasn't so hard when he didn't have Quistis' constant glare on his back.  He again wondered, though not for the first time, how it was that Quistis had become captain instead of Paine.  _Probably because she was so new to the school last year_.

            Once Sora had mastered a few more moves that Paine said he would have to learn at the next practice anyway (it could never hurt for him to get a head start), they'd had a half hour conversation about Riku and Rikku, each of them coming to the conclusion that the Rik(k)u the other would talk about would be of the same gender.  It'd taken a while, but several laughable mistakes later, each had gotten a rather decent understanding of the other.

            "Yay, Sora!"  Snapped out of his thoughts, Sora soon found himself bombarded with Yuffie, a large grin on her face as she turned towards the older girls already assembled on the blacktop.  "See, see, see?  I _told_ you Sora wouldn't give up!  Isn't he just the _cutest_?"  Sora yelped loudly and scrambled to get away from Yuffie as she pinched his cheek, Kairi and Selphie laughing as they appeared on the blacktop at last.

            Quistis cleared her throat.  "Okay, let's get started, everyone.  Why don't we do a review of yesterday's little spins?"  All of the experienced girls, except Paine, let out a loud groan of despair.

            "Quisty, that's so boring!"

            "We already know this stuff, come on!"

            Quistis rolled her eyes and sighed.  After a moment of thinking, a small smile graced her mouth and she nodded.  "Alright then.  Why don't we just have the newbies give it a go?"  Turning to face Kairi, Selphie, and Sora, Quistis' smile spread into a grin.

            "Kairi, you're up first."

            Panic raced through Sora's mind in a split second.  They were supposed to do this individually??  Instantly, whatever confidence he may have had when he'd walked out of school that afternoon disappeared.  There was no way in hell he'd be able to do even the simplest twirl of a flag in front of everyone when he was there _alone.  Looking around for Paine, who might at least be able to give him a reassuring word or two, he found her off to the side, deep in conversation with Rikku.  The blonde's ponytail flipped back and forth as she emphasized her words with dramatic hand gestures, whatever it was she was talking about making Paine chuckle.  Sora would just feel guilty if he interrupted the moment, especially now that he knew of Paine's feelings towards Rikku.  _

            "That wasn't bad Kairi.  Selphie, your turn."

            Sora no longer had the opportunity to ask Paine for reassurance, for Kairi instantly came trudging over, a frown on her face.  "Aww, I did so terrible!"

            Having not exactly been watching his friend's performance, Sora hesitated a moment before forcing a grin on his face and patting Kairi on the shoulder.  "No you didn't!  You were great, trust me.  Besides, it was just a little review of yester--"

            "Good job, Selphie.  Sora, come on."

            Kairi blinked at Sora, who's face had suddenly gone pale.  He winced quite visibly as Quistis again snapped at him to hurry up, but paused and turned around as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

            "Go on, Sora!  Don't worry, boys can do it too!"  Rikku shifted her weight from foot to foot, bouncing back and forth as she grinned at the boy.  Paine stood behind her and nodded towards Sora, a small smile on her face.  He managed to grin back at Paine and thank Rikku for her support before Quistis again barked at him.  _Jeeze, I wonder if anyone else notices that Quistis just flat out hates me?_

            Hurrying over to where Kairi and Selphie had been minutes ago, Sora blinked at all the girls who seemed to have dropped whatever they were doing to pay attention to him.  Why hadn't they been paying this much attention when Kairi and Selphie went?!  Of course, because they were both girls and it was probably quite evident that they were shoe-ins for the color guard anyway.  Sora on the other hand...

            "Sora, we'd like to get this over with before the new year, if it's at all possible," Quistis drawled, attracting a small scowl from both Paine and Rikku, who opened her mouth to object before seeming to think better of it and shutting it again.

            Slowly, Sora began to spin the flag, doing a simple drop-spin for starters.  Flag kept close to his body, as Paine had instructed him multiple times, he paced himself as the bright material passed his eyes once, twice...  Around and around and around... He wondered if he was supposed to switch to something else then.  Inverting his hand, Sora smoothly changed from the slow and steady drop-spin into the slightly faster double time.  The names of the moves were still fresh in Sora's mind, since they were just one more thing that Paine had had to remind him of the previous night.

            _Uh oh... what else did we do yesterday?  Sora frantically tried to remember back to the yesterday's practice on the blacktop, but his concentration with spinning the flag in the first place was blending the after school practice with the evening one and all the moves were starting to jumble together too.  Unable to think of anything else to do, Sora tossed the flag...._

            Into a perfect spin.

            Sora's own blue eyes were wide as the flag fell back into his hands and he looked up to make sure it had really happened.  The crowd in front of him stared back in stunned silence for several seconds before several over the girls burst into cheers.  Quistis, however, remained dead silent, a frown replacing her earlier grin of triumph.

            "Whoohooooo!  Go, Sora!"  Rikku jumped into the air and waved her hands around happily as Paine, who stood next to her, smiled at Sora with pride.  

            "Hehehe!  Looks like we really will have a guy on the guard this year!"  Yuffie squealed delightedly and clapped her hands together, accompanied by Kairi and Selphie's shouts of encouragement.  

            Another set of clapping hands came from behind Sora and he looked over his shoulder to find Riku standing there, leaning against the blacktop's surrounding chain link fence.  Fighting the urge to run over and hug his silver haired friend with the simple happiness that comes from doing something just plain _right_, Sora grinned and waved at Riku energetically.  

            _'It's okay to feel that way about him, Sora.'_

_            'Try out and I'll make it worth your while.'_

Life was looking pretty good right about then for Sora.  One more glace over at Quistis, who looked as though she'd just eaten a sour lemon or two, assured Sora that maybe this entire idea wasn't going to be his downfall after all.  And Riku was there, too, adding even more sugar to the already sweet picture.  _Mm, Riku._  Sora against fought the urge to bounce over to his silver haired obsession happily and kiss him right on the spot.  That... would undoubtedly be the dumbest thing he could possibly do.

            "Take a ten minute break, I'm getting some water," Quistis said shortly as she stalked back into the school building.

            Riku walked over towards Sora, the spiky haired boy grinning from ear to ear.  "So my little idea wasn't so bad, was it, Sora?  Where'd you learn to do that last move there?"  

            "The toss?"  Sora bounced happily, pointing Paine out to Riku.  "Paine taught me last night!"  Hearing her name, Paine looked up and nodded a greeting to Riku.  The silver haired teen blinked a moment, slightly confused by a sudden spurt of jealousy he possessed for the older girl.  Since when did Sora have Paine, rumored to be one of the most stoic individuals (other then the infamous Leon) in the high school, as a good friend?  ...And why exactly was Riku jealous in the first place?

~~~~~

            Waving goodbye to the rest of the girls making up the color guard, Sora jogged to catch up with Riku, who had thankfully offered to give him a ride home.  The last thing Sora really felt like doing was walking the mile to his house carrying both his heavy backpack and the bulky practice flag with him.  

            Sora buckled the seatbelt of the front passenger seat after he'd slid in next to Riku in the car, flag and backpack safely in the back seat.  Inside, the younger boy was dancing with happiness that Riku had actually seen him do well at something which, yes, seemed silly and trivial, but was still surprisingly difficult to do.  He had an entire weekend to look forward to, and since last night's meeting with Paine, Sora found himself wondering what he could do with Riku.  Perhaps if he could nudge the older boy into a more regular pattern of doing things together, just the two of them...

            "Glad you're having fun, Sora."  Riku grinned and ruffled Sora's hair playfully as the car pulled out of the school parking lot, his amazing multi-tasking skills again becoming quite evident.  Riku was probably the only teenager on the island who could listen to blaring rock music on the radio, eat a hamburger, finish his history report, and have perfect control over a car, all at the same time.  Joking around with Sora while driving the boy home was no challenge for him whatsoever. 

            "Sooo, think I'm any good at it?"  Really, Sora was just fishing for compliments out of the older boy, in too carefree a mood to try making a real conversation.

            Riku grinned at the younger boy's question.  It wasn't really a surprise, now that he thought about it.  Sora was constantly looking to others to make sure he was doing the right thing, always needing reassurance about anything and everything.  If he only let that blind confidence he occasionally obtained pilot his life...

            "Good at it?  I didn't think just a day's worth of practice could make you that good.  Really, Sora, that's pretty amazing.  And before you get started, _no_, I'm not just saying that."  

            The conversation continued along those lines for the rest of the drive home, accompanied by the standard laughter and joking that showed up whenever Riku and Sora were put together in a situation.  As Sora hopped out of the car, pulling out his practice flag and backpack behind him, it was agreed that Riku would pick him up later that night so the two could go spend some quality time just wandering around the downtown area of the small.  For Sora, this was all simply perfect and there was nothing he would have changed. 

            Of course, just thinking that jinxed the entire thing, for no sooner had Sora unlocked the front door of the house and tossed his backpack on the downstairs couch did the phone ring.  Leaning his flag against a wall, Sora jogged over to where the phone hung on the wall and picked it up.

            "Hello?"

            "Sora?  This is Quistis."

            "Quistis??"  Immediately, Sora jumped to the worst conclusion.  What if there was some rule he didn't know about concerning getting practice outside of the after school practices??  That was a pretty stupid notion, yes, but Quistis being who she was, Sora wouldn't have put it too far past her.  "Umm... Hi."

            "I have a favor to ask of you, Sora."

            _And I've got a really bad feeling about this..._

Not waiting for Sora's response, Quistis continued, her voice taking on a sickeningly sweet pitch to it.  "I didn't know you knew Riku, Sora.  See, you already know about Winterfest and everything, I'm sure."

            Sora's bad feeling about this was steadily rising each second Quistis continued to babble.

            "Now normally I would never date down a grade.  But I was wondering if you would set me up with Riku, you and him being so... _close_ and all."

            No sooner had those words reached Sora's ears did he frown and narrow his eyes slightly.  How dare Quistis try and take Riku from him??  Granted, he and Riku weren't exactly a couple... Nor had Sora even told Riku of his deep feelings for his friend... But that didn't change anything as far as Sora was concerned.  

            "I... guess I could try."  _Damn me for having to act the nice guy.  What Sora really wanted to do was snap something along the lines of, "Stay the hell away my boy, you sadistic little power freak!" but decided that would probably cut whatever future he may have had on the color guard down significantly.  _

            "Thanks, Sora.  You won't regret it, I promise."  Click.  Not even a word of goodbye to Sora, just more empty promises of it all being worth his while in the end.  Blinking as he hung up the phone, Sora shuddered.  He'd never want Quistis to mean those words the way he would want _Riku_ to mean them.

            Glancing at the clock, Sora saw he would probably have another hour or so until Riku got back from picking up groceries for his parents (as daunting as the silver haired boy could be at times, he was still roped into grocery shopping all the same), and Sora decided to have yet another go at practicing for guard.  It was oddly surprising how addictive twirling a flag could be, but Sora was just thankful he'd found something he could do that made him significantly... well, different.

            So it was that Sora was surprised to find Paine outside again, sitting in the same folding chair she'd been sitting in last night, a notebook lying open in her lap.  Setting his flag down in the grass, he jogged over to Paine who looked up as he approached, a small smile on her face.

            "Hey, Sora.  Good job today.  I think Quistis was probably more then just a little surprised by all that."  She chuckled and began to close her open notebook before the word-filled pages caught Sora's eye and he peered over at the paper with interest.

            "Oooh, whatcha writing?"

            Paine paused, the notebook half closed.  Looking up at Sora, she again paused, probably once more asking herself if she should continue to just open up to Sora like she had been doing.  It was ridiculously out of character for her, as far as Paine was concerned, but she realized that aside from personality, Sora had a lot in common with her.  He'd even had the trust in her not to breathe a word of his love for Riku to anyone, and Paine had bestowed the same trust in him with her own feelings for Rikku.

            "It's a song..."  

            "Hey, I didn't know you wrote music!  What's it about?  Can I read it?"  Sora's blue eyes looked pleadingly down at Paine who scoffed in response.

            "You don't _read songs, Sora."_

            "...Oh.  Right! ...You don't?"

            "No.  It's a song, you sing it."

            Sora rocked back and forth on his heels.  "But I can't sing.  However, I _can read, so can I read it then?  Oh wait, can _you_ sing, Paine?"_

            Paine narrowed her eyes and tossed the notebook at Sora.  "Fine, you can read it."

            Grinning evilly, Sora plopped down on the porch in front of Paine, sitting cross legged and flipping open to the page Paine had previously had open.  

_The rope that's wrapped around me_

_Is cutting through my skin_

_And the doubts that have surrounded me_

_Are finding their way in_

_I keep it close to me_

_Like a holy man prays_

_In my desperate hour_

_It's better, better that way_

_So I'll come by and see you again_

_I'll be such a very good friend_

_Have mercy on my soul_

_I will never let you know_

_Where my mind has been_

_Angels never came down_

_There's no one here _

_They'd want to hang around_

_But if they knew, if they knew you at all_

_Then one by one, the angels would fall_

            Sora gaped down at the obviously unfinished lyrics, to put it quite simply, stunned.  He'd never read something like that which just seemed so... right.  Looking up at Paine he stared at her as she rolled her eyes in response, taking the notebook back out of his lap.  Maybe he didn't understand after all...

            "It's for Rikku, isn't it?"

            Or not.  Looking back at Sora, Paine gave him a small nod.  "Yes.  And for anyone else who feels that way about someone.  It could be yours and Riku's, or anyone else's."

            They were both quiet for a moment, Sora trying to remember every word of the unfinished song.  It really would work for anyone, no matter who.  

            "It's beautiful..."

            Paine leaned over and flicked Sora in the forehead, causing the boy to yelp. "Yeah, yeah, beautiful my ass.  Listen, you don't go blabbing about my writing crap, got it?  I don't exactly _like_ sharing this kind of stuff with people, so you owe me big Sora."

            Rubbing his forehead, Sora pouted.  "But why wouldn't you want people to read it?  It's ama--"

            "Hush, Sora."  The younger boy obediently shut his mouth and blinked up at Paine questioningly.  Running her fingertips along the edge of the notebook, Paine finished her thinking and nodded to herself.  After waiting a moment, it became clear that Paine wasn't exactly willing to talk much more, so Sora put it upon himself to make conversation.  Thankfully, he'd already had a topic in mind.

            "Quistis called.  She wants me to set her and Riku up."

            Snapping her head around to face Sora, Paine narrowed her eyes.  "What?  Quistis wouldn't date a junior."

            "That's not what she says..."

            "You're not going to go through it, are you Sora?  You do that and I'll hang you from your roof by your ears myself."  The scary thing is, one look at Paine and Sora was very much aware of the fact that she wasn't kidding.  

            Sora laughed and shook his head.  "Nope, Paine, sorry, but I'm not exactly that stupid."

            "You might surprise yourself."  Both teenagers laughed at that and were quite content to sit there in companionable silence for several minutes afterwards.  The approaching winter season, although temperature didn't change all that much on the islands, had the sun setting early in the evening, Sora and Paine quietly watching its fire die behind the horizon.

            Riku leaned against the side of Sora's house, watching the two very carefully.  As much as he trusted Sora, he didn't know Paine well enough to trust _her_, and was naturally wary of the fact thatSora seemed so friendly towards the girl.  Honestly, what on earth was it that had made them such great buddies all of a sudden?  Sora had probably forgotten all about Riku and was only thinking about Paine, Paine, Paine.  Riku's eyes narrowed in a glare at the girl as he headed back out to Sora's front yard.  Well, if Sora could forget about their plans, Riku could too.  He'd been waiting for five minutes all ready, so he saw no reason to give Sora more time if he would just be spending it with that **girl**.  

            Seven minutes later, Sora waved goodnight to Paine and again retreated inside his house, dropping off the flag he hadn't even spun once.  It wasn't like he needed to practice right away though.  Riku would be there any minute and Sora was very much looking forward to spending the rest of his Friday night in the company of his best friend.  Having a note already written out to his mother and left taped to the mirror in the hallway, Sora sat perched on the steps and waited.

            And waited.

            Riku didn't show up.  Nor did he realize that the clock in his car had been ten minutes fast.

.................................................................

            Well that took up the better part of my day.  o.o;  Jeeze this was a pretty big chapter...  First thing's first, how did everyone like Paine's characterization?  I'm really quite happy with her sort of being the person goes to for advice, again crossing sexual boundaries.  Oh, and yes, I've always paired her with Rikku for some odd reason.  ...Wha-at?  *mutters*  

            I should also point out that the lyrics to Paine's song are actually those of Melissa Etheridge's "Angels Will Fall."  I downloaded it last night when I was bored out of my mind and absolutely fell in love with the song.  Expect an appearance from it later on!

            I also apologize to any Quistis fans out there.  I myself, am not one, and saw no real problem in giving her that role in the fic.  She's not a _bad person, really.  ...Though the next chapter may very well change my mind on that one.  __  Reviews would again be appreciated!  _

            Preview for the next chapter:  Things must get worse before they get better.  ...We hope.

~Ori


	3. Stand Off

Oh wow.  *melts*  Thank you guys so much for your reviews!  I got up extra-early today so I could get this chapter finished and posted for you all!  ^^  I'm so glad that Paine's characterization went over well... I was really worried about it for a while there.  Phew!  But before I forget, I should probably point out that Riku's jealousy and jumping to conclusions all stems from the video game itself, when Riku thinks Sora is just running around playing hero with his new friends and has totally forgotten about him and Kairi.  That said... 

            Enjoy chapter three!

..............................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Three**

'Stand Off'

            After an hour of sitting on the steps waiting, Sora realized Riku wasn't coming.  Trying to keep his mind in check as he went to give Riku a fourth call, Sora couldn't help but start thinking in terms of the worst case scenario.  What if Riku had gotten in a car crash?  The thought was practically absurd, since Riku was the best driver Sora knew, but it was still possible...  Or what if Riku had just forgotten about the entire thing and gone off to do something else?  The worst thing Sora could possibly think was that Riku had just decided not to come.  

            Well things just sucked.  It was nearly unbelievable how things had drifted from amazingly wonderful to rock bottom in less then half an hour.  

            "Hey, this is Riku.  I'm not here right now, leave a message and I'll get back to you."  The cell phone's answering message ended with a small beep and Sora sighed.

            "Hey, Riku... It's Sora... Umm... I guess you're not coming... But that's okay.  We'll just, ah, make plans for another day, okay?  ....Later."

            Sora stared at the phone in his hand a moment before actually hanging it up.  On top of feeling completely rejected by his best friend, Sora now found himself with nothing to do on a Friday night.  His mother's note she'd left him said she might not be back until around midnight, since she'd gone off with her own friends for the afternoon.  Ugh, even _Bryna_ had friends who wouldn't just up and abandon her like that!

            Quickly wiping the thought from his mind, Sora set himself to making some sort of dinner.  Brushing his coppery bangs out of his eyes, he flung open the refridgerator and peered inside only to find several cans of soda, an eggplant, and a bowl of... something that was probably maccaroni and cheese... at one point.  Sora made a face and closed the door with a loud bang.  Now it looked as though he'd be spending his Friday night alone, neglected, _and_ starving.

            "Well.  This is just skippy, now isn't it?"  It wasn't long after that when Sora began repeatedly banging the back of his head against the wall.

            Thud.  Thud.  Thud.

            Blinking, he paused and looked around.

            Thudthudthudthud.

            Hearing voices outside his front door, Sora frowned in puzzlement.  The smart thing for a teenage boy to do in this situation would have been to proceed with caution, seeing as it was dark outside and he was home alone, absolutely defenseless.  Sora must not have felt up to doing the smart thing, for he trudged over to the front door as the knocking continued (as well as the voices) and flung it open.

            "_What?" he barked before his eyes widened and he looked up to find himself staring at..._

            "Sora!  Is that anyway to greet your three-girl cheer-up squad?  Hmm?  I don't think so!"  Rikku?  Paine and Yuna stood behind her, Paine shaking her head at the blond girl's antics.  Yuna waved politely, smiling sweetly as Sora gaped at the three girls on his doorstep.

            "...Err....?"

            Smiling apologetically, Paine did her best to fill in the confused Sora.  "I noticed that Riku never dropped by to pick you up...  Rikku, Yuna, and I were just headed downtown and wanted to know if you wanted to come with."  She gave him a small comforting smile before Rikku again took control of the conversation.

            "It'll be _fun, Sora, come on!  We go dancing and clubbing and aaaall sorts of fun stuff!  You'll have a great time, I proooomise!" Rikku said, looking at Sora with pleading green eyes.  Sora's attention was dragged away as a car drove down the narrow street, picking up speed as it passed his house.  Shaking his head, Sora pulled himself back into reality.  For a second he could have sworn that had been Riku's car.  But then again, he was in such a funk about the whole ordeal, even Rikku's green eyes were seeming more like Riku's own brilliant aquamarine..._

            The spiky haired boy sighed inwardly.  It _had been really thoughtful of them to stop by... especially since they were so willing and eager to have him tag along, but he really just didn't feel up to doing anything.  What Sora really wanted was for Riku to call back, a great excuse in hand as to why he never showed up, and then they could rent a movie and watch it over at Riku's house... where there was plenty of food and Sora wouldn't be lonely._

            "Who knows, we might be able to do a little detective work and hunt down the **other Riku!"  Paine's eyes widened as she elbowed Rikku in the side, though her warning scowl was already too late.**

            "What?  You know where Riku is?"  

            "Of course!  Well, I mean, not exactly.  He's not at his house though, 'cause I drive by it on my way here aaaand his car wasn't there."  Upon seeing Sora's crestfallen look, Rikku wished she'd kept her mouth shut about the whole issue.  "But we can find him no problem!  If we do enough snooping around, we can so totally get that cat back in the bag!... Or... umm.... Get the lephrechaun back his pot of gold!  Ooh!  Or--"

            Paine struggled to keep from laughing.  "You're done, Rikku."

            "Aww, maaan, I was just getting warmed up."

            Sora decided to cut in before any of the girls could really get their hopes up.  "Thanks... I mean it, but... I um... I think I'll just wait for Riku to call back.  He has to answer his messages sometime, right?"  He looked hopefully up at the three girls outside the doorway, all of whom exhanged glances before nodding.

            "Oh, yeah, no big, he'll call back real soon, I bet!  He probably just got really hung up in traffic and maybe he's on his way here right now!"  Rikku grinned and clasped her hands together in front of her, unaware of Paine's small sigh from behind her.

            Riku, meanwhile, pulled off to the side of the road several blocks after he'd driven past Sora's house.  He _had felt guilty about having abandoned Sora just like that and had eventually forced himself to drive back to Sora's house and to try and come up with a way he could repair his mistake.  But obviously, Sora wasn't having any bitter feelings about being forgotten, seeing as the good old color guard crew had gathered outside his doorway... _Paine_ among them._

            Gritting his teeth in frustration, Riku slammed one fist against the dashboard of his car, resting his forehead on the rim of the steering wheel.  And to think it was all Riku's fault that Sora had drifted away from him in the first place!  It was Riku who had gotten Sora to go to those practices, and it was Riku who was the one telling him to go out for the guard.  He had originally hoped that Sora being on the guard would be like a missing puzzle piece for everything.  Not only would it give Sora something to do (the boy often pouted about never having anything he was good at, though Riku didn't think he needed a talent to be anything special), but it would also give Riku an excuse to spend more time with the younger teen.  The color guard accompanied the marching band on all of the trips, naturally, and Riku had always wanted to drag Sora along to the competition site on the mainland.  He had thought that having Sora join color guard would fix all that and make everything perfect.

            Obviously not.

            Riku didn't even stop to think he might be overreacting.  In his mind he'd always been right and he'd never really been given any reason not to believe it to be true.  Sora was always the one agreeing with him, supporting him, but now that Sora wasn't there, surely it was _Sora_ who made the mistake then.  That had to be the only explanation.  

            Well, Riku would just have to let Sora learn from his mistake.  The hard way.

~~~~~~~~

            Sora's eyes half-opened as he heard his mother talking on the phone in a soft voice in the kitchen.  He didn't remember falling asleep on the couch... nor did have a clue when on earth it could have possibly have happened.  It seemed like just a minute ago he'd been lying on the couch, waiting for a phone call or a knock on the door from Riku...

            Riku!  What if he'd called and Sora had been asleep?! 

            Tearing into the kitchen, blue eyes wide and panicked, he opened his mouth to start babbling questions only to find Bryna still talking on the phone in a hushed voice.  Looking up as her son entered the room, she gave him a small smile and a little wave, motioning over towards the countertop where several grocery bags were sitting.  Sora silently went over and fished out an apple from the bag, rising it off in the sink before biting into it.

            Twelve forty-five in the morning?  Sora frowned at the clock over the small stove on the kitchen.  Great, he'd overslept and any chance he'd had of spending time with Riku seemed to be fast fading away.  Not wanting to go back to sleep, still feeling guilty about sleeping on the couch in the first place, he sat across from Bryna at the small kitchen table.

            "Mmhm, I know.  I know, I know.  Listen, Sora's here, you wanna talk to him?"  Bryna looked over at Sora apologetically, mouthing 'dad' wordlessly.  

            Sora frowned and stood up from the table.  "I don't really feel like talking to him now, mom...  I'm just gonna go get some fresh air."

            With that, Sora walked quietly into the backyard, closing the door gently behind him.  He felt like screaming and yelling and kicking _something_, anything to get his mind off of all this.  He wanted to get in touch with Riku, to find out what had happened. He wanted his father to stop calling Bryna, because he would constantly ask if Sora wanted to go visit him on the mainland, which Sora had zero desire to do.  More then anything, he just wanted to...

            Sora pouted and crossed his arms, realizing he didn't know what he wanted more then anything.  Hmm, he'd have to do some thinking on that one.  Turning towards Paine's house, expecting the older girl to be there, he was disappointed to find her standard folding chair empty.  Who was he supposed to go to for comfort and advice now when he really felt like shit?  _Hold a sec...  Her chair __wasn't empty.  Lying on top of the seat was her notebook she'd had out earlier in the day and a scrap of paper. _

            Jogging over to the chair, Sora peered down at the paper.

            _Sora--_

_                        I figured you'd be out later.  Sorry about the whole Riku thing._

_            I finished the song, if you want to read it._

_            Feel better._

_                                                -Paine_

            Smiling Sora picked up the notebook and cradled it as though he were afraid he'd somehow break it.  Even though everything about Paine's song had reminded him of nothing but Riku, he still loved the words and hoped they'd help to bring him back to his senses at least somewhat.  Flipping gently through the pages of other writing, not sure if Paine would want for him to read anything but the song itself, Sora eventually came upon the neat columned writing which now spanned the entire page.  Sitting cross-legged on the ground (though Sora would never admit it, he figured it would just be **wrong** of  him to occupy her special chair), Sora began to read.

_The rope that's wrapped around me / Is cutting through my skin / And the doubts that have surrounded me / Are finding their way in / I keep it close to me / Like a holy man prays / In my desperate hour / It's better, better that way / So I'll come by and see you again / I'll be such a very good friend / Have mercy on my soul / I will never let you know / Where my mind has been / Angels never came down / There's no one here / They'd want to hang around / But if they knew, if they knew you at all / Then one by one, the angels would fall _

_ I've crept into your temple / I have slept upon your pew / I have dreamed of a divinity / Inside and out of you / I want it more then truth / I can taste it on my breath_

_I would give my life just for a little / A little death / So I'll come by and see you again / I'll be just a very good friend / I would not look upon your face / I would not touch upon your grace / You're as pleasing as soft skin / Angels never came down / There's no one here / They'd want to hang around / But if they knew, if they knew you at all / Then one by one, the angels would fall _

_ I'll come by and see you again / And I'll have to be a very good friend / If I whisper they will know / I'll just turn around and go / You will never know my sin / Angels never came down / There's no one here / They'd want to hang around / But if they knew, if they knew you at all / Then one by one, the angels would fall _

_ There's no one here / They'd want to hang around / But if they knew, if they knew you at all / Then one by one the angels would fall_

It was nothing less then Sora had expected, if anything, Paine's writing had been even more profound then he could've thought possible before.  Sora wanted to just read and reread the song over and over again, forever.  If he read it enough, maybe Riku would somehow understand...  It was then that Sora noticed the smaller handwriting in pencil at the bottom of the page.

_Tell Riku, Sora._

Thinking on this a moment, Sora blinked.  Paine wasn't the type of person who would've follow her own advice to the very last word.  ...Did that mean she'd already told Rikku about how she felt towards the girl??  Sora grinned and laughed out loud into the otherwise silent night.  So Paine had told Rikku about it all...  Sora was more then happy for his friend and almost all of his previously sour mood vanished in a snap.  All he had to now was find some way of getting a hole of Riku over the weekend, tell the boy how he felt and see how things played out from there.  He hadn't really seen that it was just that simple before.  There was constantly the worry of rejection or disgust coming from Riku, but at that moment, Sora doubted that anything would turn bitter.  It was just one of those "everything will be all right" feelings.

~~~~~~~

            Sora's plan wouldn't have had any problem and the poor boy was more then willing to tell Riku how he felt all weekend long.  But Sora just _couldn't_ get a hold of Riku!  He must have annoyed the older boy's parents to death, calling every other hour only to find that Riku was still out, or that he had come home and had to go out again right afterwards.  All in all, the two day weekend seemed to drag itself out to two weeks for Sora, who was next to ripping his spiky hair out in frustration by Sunday night.  Well fine then.  Sora would just have to _drag Riku out of some classroom the next day and tell the older boy then.  _

            While practicing for color guard with Paine during the weekend, Sora found out that yes, her and Rikku were now a couple.  He was happy for them both and promised Paine that he'd been trying to get a hold of Riku all weekend to tell him about his own feelings, but he just couldn't get in contact with the older boy.  Paine found the whole thing a little concerning, though she did her best to keep her feelings from her friend.  She'd been disappointed in Riku when he'd backed out on the evening he and Sora had planned out, but she'd also thought that it was possible that Riku had some emergency or something he'd had to take care of and couldn't do it that night.  But when Sora wasn't able to speak with Riku at all throughout the entire weekend, Paine just couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.

            Sora walked to school the next day, accompanied by Kairi and Selphie as usual, but Riku was still nowhere to be found.  After asking around if anyone had seen Riku all weekend, the two girls exchanged glances and shrugged.  Continuing the walk to school, Sora also continued his search for Riku, constantly looking back over his shoulder, hoping to see the boy jogging to catch up to them from behind.

            "You know, Sora, Riku may have just driven to school.  He did on Friday--"

            "He had to drop off a project on Friday, Kairi!"

            "I know, I know!"  Selphie jumped up and down waving her hand in the air.  "Maybe he's just got _another_ project due today!"

            Sora sighed as the three turned onto the main road on the island, approaching the high school.  It was possible that Riku did have another project or something due... Or he may just have felt like driving to school early in the morning to... _Do nothing?_  Sora's thought process was running overtime and he didn't feel up to worrying about his older friend any more then he had already done that weekend.  If Sora didn't see Riku that morning, he **would see him at lunch.  Riku had never missed lunch, not even to finish studying or doing homework for another class.  He ****always showed up.**

            So throughout his first three classes of the day, Sora's mid was elsewhere, thinking of some remotely tactful way he could talk to Riku, having not seen his friend all weekend.  His teachers didn't bother to ask why their student was zoning out every five seconds, not matter how much they reprimanded him and eventually they all gave up.  Sora was in another world and was obviously not coming out until he felt like it.

            Apparently, he felt like coming out of that world at lunch, bouncing back into the frenzied state he'd been in that morning, or as Kairi and Selphie had dubbed it, "Riku-Mode."  The poor boy must have asked every other person they came across if they'd seen Riku that day, though most of them didn't know.  Of course, most of them wouldn't know, since not all sophomores knew the silver haired boy as well as Sora and his close friends did.  

            It was when Yuffie walked over to the table that Sora began to feel something was wrong.  Normally, Yuffie would have bounced over, hopped over, skipped over... the list went on and on, but _walking was not on it.  The older girl placed her hands on her hips a small, puzzled frown flitting across her usually cheery face.  _

            "Okay, Sora, what's up Quistis and Riku?"

            Sora's face drained of all color and he nearly choked on the milk he'd been drinking at that moment.  Paine appeared seconds later, wincing as she saw that Yuffie had already beat her to Sora.  No doubt the short haired girl didn't mean to stab Sora and twist the knife around, but she was sure to do it accidentally.  Upon seeing Sora's expression as she drew up behind Yuffie, Paine made a mental note to clarify for the girl that when she said, "find Sora," she meant to find him.  Not to tell him what Paine had intended on telling him herself.

            "Ri--  Quis--  W...what?"  Sora numbly set the milk carton back on the table, his body totally detatched from his screaming mind by that point.

            Rikku jogged over towards Paine, having also been sent on a Sora-hunt.  Sidling up next to her girlfriend, Rikku bit her bottom lip upon seeing Sora's pained expression.

            "Sora, listen..."

            "Where is he?" Sora asked quietly.  His friends around him were more then a little puzzled by the whole idea, Selphie and Kairi seemed torn between disappointment in Riku for going out with the bitter captain of the guard, and confusion as to why Sora cared **that much in the first place.**

            "He's over with the seniors, Sora."  Paine looked towards Rikku, trying to figure out if she should prevent Sora from seeing Riku or if she should just let it happen.  

            Getting up from the table, Sora looked around, eventually finding the silver haired junior sitting in the midst of a throng of seniors, sure enough, a small blond girl sitting next to him, though it seemed as though more of her was draped across Riku than in the actual chair.  All Sora could think of what how much Riku had betrayed him.  He was willing to forgive the older boy for bailing out on him that past Friday, but to go out with Quistis without even talking to Sora first?  

            "Hey, Sora!"  Riku grinned at the younger boy as Sora drew closer to the table.  No one seemed to notice that the grin failed to reach his eyes, though.  Upon seeing Sora's simply devastated look try and repair itself to look at least somewhat supportive, Riku felt his own heart shatter.  When he'd first overheard the last part of Sora's conversation with Paine that previous Friday, he hadn't had any intention at all of hooking up with Quistis.  It was after he'd driven past Sora's house later in the afternoon and had pulled over to the side of the road in a burst of frustration that he'd randomly decided to go through with it.  All just to get back at Sora for something as innocent as making new friends.

            "Hi, Riku.... Quistis.  Um..."  Sora didn't really know what he'd come over there for.  He wanted to start yelling at Riku, asking him how he could just go and do something like that when Sora had been trying to tell him he loved him all weekend!  Sora suddenly felt like ripping Quistis off of Riku's side and telling the older girl everything he thought of her.  Running through a list of choice words in the back of his mind didn't seem to soothe Sora all that much.  "I didn't know you guys were a couple.  I'm happy for you."  Anyone who knew Sora knew that those words came out forced and not in the slightest bit sincere.  Riku knew Sora and saw through the younger boy's flimsy mask with ease, again hit by another wave of guilt.  He hadn't meant to **demolish his best friend's spirit... All he'd wanted to do was get a little revenge.**

            Quistis narrowed her eyes at the spiky haired boy in front of them, wrapping her arms tighter around Riku's shoulders.  Stupid little kid.  He'd had Riku his entire life, it was time enough he shared!  

            Sora noticed the girl's glare and his eyes flicked back to Riku's face.  The older boy seemed to put his own mask over his emotions, but Riku wasn't as easy to read as Sora was and the younger boy.  A few days ago, Sora would have just flat out have told Riku exactly what he felt towards Quistis, but at that moment, Sora even felt betrayed by Riku.  His gaze having fallen towards the surface of the table, Sora looked up again, intending to say goodbye to Riku and probably wander off somewhere to sulk.  But as Quistis drew herself even closer to Riku, the Riku that should be _his_, giving a small smirk of triumph at him, Sora just couldn't hold back anymore.

            Grabbing the thing nearest to him, which just happened to be another senior's open milk carton, he hurled it towards Quistis, who nearly went bug-eyed in surprise.  With a sickening splatter, milk drenched both Quistis and Riku as Sora found himself screaming in his mind not to start crying.

            _Don't cry, don't cry!_

"How could you do that to me, Riku?!"

            Riku jolted out of his chair, milk trailing down his clothes, ignoring Quistis' angered squeals, the older girl dripping even more then Riku himself.  "What the hell are you talking about Sora??"  But Riku had a feeling he knew exactly what Sora was talking about and felt even worse for asking the boy.

            "Going out with _Quistis_?  She only wants you because you're hot!  God, Riku, how dense are you?!  She's only with you because--"

            "Sora, _shut up!!"  Riku clenched his fists, looking about ready to jump right over the table and pummel his friend into the ground._

            "_Why?  I've been quiet forever, dammit!  I'm _sick_ of being quiet!  I--"_

            "Sora!"  Paine's hand held back Sora's fist, which he was unaware he'd even formed in the first place.  With a jolt, Sora realized he'd been about ready to just hit Riku.  Riku!  Of all people, why would he ever, _ever hurt him?  _He hurt me first.__

Wrenching his arm out of Paine's grip, Sora did the only thing he could think of.  

            He ran.

.......................................

            *sniff*  Yes, I feel awful.  But don't worry!  This **is** a Riku/Sora fic, not a Sora-deals-with-a-one-sided-relationship fic.  *nods firmly*  I had a lot more I wanted to get to, but I figured they'd fit in better forming a new chapter, which I'll probably have posted tomorrow.  Hope no one has issues with the Paine/Rikku appearance.  It's entirely necessary though.  I mean, how else would Paine and Sora be friends at all if they didn't have that in common?

            Again, I should probably point out that Paine's song lyrics aren't mine, their Melissa Etheridge's.  I mentioned it in the last chapter, but I don't want to get in trouble for not mentioning it again, so I just did.

            On a more personal note, I'm really, _really_ delighted that I've made it on people's favorites lists!  I've been telling myself just to devote one day to reading/reviewing other peoples fics, so hopefully that day isn't too far off!  Thanks to everyone who keeps reading!  *beams*  

~Ori


	4. Crime and Punishment

            *is goo*  Oi, I know I say it at the beginning of almost every chapter of anything, but all of you are so kind!  *sob*  I need to think of some way to thank you all... hmm... I'll get to it shortly.  ^^  In the meantime, I'd like to first thank everyone for accepting that hint of yuri in the last chapters.  I'm glad people caught on that Rikku and Paine's relationship is supposed to sort of mirror that of Sora and Riku's at the beginning, but eventually both relationships go their own happily separate ways.  

            In this chapter, we see severe evidence that Sora is an extremely dependent individual.  ...And just downright stubborn.  

...........................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Four**

'Crime and Punishment'

            Riku was at a complete loss of what to do.  His supposed 'girlfriend' was whining and bitching to him about being drenched in milk, his best friend just appeared to have his heart broken, and Riku's mind was going into overdrive trying to make a list of priorities for the poor boy.  On top of it all, Paine looked about ready to kill him.  Sora might have punched him, but one look at the older girl's icy glare warned the silver haired boy off and he wordlessly stormed off into the boy's bathroom outside of the cafeteria.

            Paine, however, wasn't done.  She wasn't willing to humiliate Riku in front of everyone (as much as she believed he deserved it, Sora probably wouldn't like the whole idea) and followed right behind Riku, snapping at anyone who tried to prevent her from setting foot in the boy's bathroom.

            "What the hell are you doing here?  Can't you tell this is the--"

            "Oh honestly, Riku!  Do I look like I care?!"

            Riku dampened a paper towel and silently began dabbing at his milk-covered torso.  The older girl glared at an approaching freshman, who squeaked and hurried out of the bathroom, not even bothering to wonder what a girl was doing in there in the first place.  Taking several deep breaths, Paine closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten before she began speaking again, this time in a much more controlled tone.

            "Why did you do it, Riku?  Do you know how much you mean to him?"

            Riku scoffed and pitched the damp paper towel into the trash can in the corner of the restroom, clenching both fists as he wheeled around to face Paine.  "Why did I do it?  What, go out with Quistis?"  Narrowing his eyes, Riku realized there was no way out of not sounding childish in his next thought.  Nonetheless, he made a decent effort.  "_You, Paine.  You just waltzed right in there like you were the queen of the world or something and..."  Riku didn't want to continue, couldn't continue, without making himself come off as even more of an idiot._

            "You think I stole Sora from you?"  

            "YES!  Honestly, it's like you guys are a fucking couple or something!  You're _always around him!"_

            "Riku, you are the highest class of moron in existence."  Paine let out a deep sigh before continuing, almost sounding tired and worn out from having to deal with Riku's own upset state as well as worry about Sora.  She hoped that someone had been able to track him down after he'd run out of the cafeteria and that he wasn't crying all alone somewhere.  In a fleeting though, she wondered if Riku was having the same concerns, if not greater ones.  Finally opening her mouth to continue speaking, Paine's voice was quieter, though no less intimidating that it had been originally.  "And do you know why you're such a moron, Riku?"

            Sensing a lecture coming on, Riku did his best to prepare himself.  Though unsure of what he was about to hear from Paine, he had a feeling it was going to be just a little painful...

            "I'm not interesting in boys, Riku.  I've got a _girlfriend now, or did you fail to notice that, too?"  Paine couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she said those last words, astounded that Riku could be so oblivious to the world around him when he was upset over something.  "And Sora came to me only because he felt you wouldn't understand!  You didn't have to push him away, but you did, Riku.  You threw him away like used garbage when you saw his attentions weren't on you twenty-four-seven and now all you've got to show for it is a whorish girlfriend you don't even like, and a best friend lost._

            "You weren't there on Friday night.  _You.__  Weren't.  There.  It's not my fault or Sora's that he turned to me instead, that's just how Sora works.  In case you didn't notice this either, that boy is, or at least __was, totally devoted to you... He's doing color guard because you told him to, isn't he?  Sora would probably jump off a cliff for you, but from the look of things, you wouldn't bother to catch him."_

            Every one of Paine's cold words burned into Riku's mind and he couldn't manage to get a hold of a strong argument he could use in his defense.  He had nothing.  Unable to do anything but listen, Riku felt about ready to just explode from the sudden surge of self-loathing he was building up for himself.  He didn't deserve Sora...  Riku knew then that he probably couldn't ever understand how much he had hurt his best friend, the one who had stuck with him longer then anyone.  The one person who would walk off the edge of the world for Riku.

            And Riku, the one who pushed him away.

            "Well what do you want me to do about it?!" Riku growled in desperation.  "You're right okay?  Everything, everything, it's all _right!  I'm wrong, I know I am, but what do you want me to do, Paine?  What can I do?"_

            Both were silent for several long minutes which seemed to drag themselves out to hour-length.  The only sound in the boys' bathroom was the steady dripping noise from on of the not-quite-functioning faucets of the sinks, the bathroom otherwise taking on an almost tomb-like feel to it.  

            "You can go fix things."

            She made it sound so simple.

~~~~~~~

            Paine was surprised to see Sora appear at guard practice that afternoon after school.  She and Rikku had made themselves comfortable waiting for the rest of the girls to show up, and Paine had secretly been hoping that Sora _would_ have taken the afternoon off.  No matter how much he may have tried to hide it, the younger boy had been crying and his mood only seemed to plummet further as Quistis appeared on the blacktop, signaling for everyone to gather around her.

            Avoiding looking at Sora, Quistis addressed the entire color guard in a cold, hard voice.  "Okay.  Today we're doing something different.  Older girls should group up with the younger kids and we'll have some closer knit practices.  I'll be coming around to see how everyone's doing and giving each group a new move to work on."  She paused, and added as a last note, "And Cid will be dropping by within the hour to see how things are progressing.  _Don't_ embarrass me."

            The color guard divided up evenly between Kairi, Selphie, and Sora, Quistis strolled off to the side to survey them all with a cold stare.

            Looking blearily up at Rikku, Yuffie, and Paine, Sora realized that it probably would have been wise of him to fake sick and just take the day off.  The last thing he felt like doing was spinning the flag, however at the same time he hoped it might help take his mind off things, even though color guard would never be able to solve his problems.  Any break from what he was feeling right then would be heaven.  

            "So, when do I get permission to his her in the head with a brick?" Rikku asked darkly under her breath, obviously meaning Quistis.  Yuffie snickered and Paine merely elbowed the girl in the ribs before the three girls again turned their attention to Sora, Yuffie speaking up first.

            "Well I can't see how you need _our_ help in the first place.  Paine told me about the little practice sessions you guys have all on your own, so I don't even see why you come to practice in the first place!"  Yuffie grinned, then paused before continuing.  "Come to think of it, I can't see why _we_ come to practice in the first place.  Rikku, Paine, any ideas?"  The short haired girl asked, turning to the other two girls.

            "Because there are obviously things that Paine can't teach him."

            Raising her eyebrows, Yuffie turned around yet again, this time finding herself face to face with Quistis.  Obviously, the captain had seen better days both emotionally and... hygienically.  Really, Quistis seemed to let off a faint smell of old milk.  Both Yuffie and Rikku did their best to keep from scowling Quistis as she approached Paine and Sora, though her eyes were focused on Paine.

            "I think you can try doing the _Holder_ Toss, Sora."

            _Holder Toss?__  It's just a stupid toss..._

            Quistis continued, a smirk playing across her face.  "I think Paine can show you, can't you, Paine?  Or do you not remember it from freshman year, mm?"

            Paine folded her arms, though her facial expression didn't change at all.  Behind Quistis, Rikku looked about ready to hit the older captain in front of her, but held herself in check.  Tilting her head to the side, Paine shrugged as she addressed Quistis.

            "I could never do that one, Quistis.  You know that."

            Seemingly delighted in hearing her rival admit her own failure, Quistis nodded and smiled sweetly, turning to Sora, who had unconsciously narrowed his eyes at the harsh captain.  He had another growing feeling that this wasn't going to be good, especially when several of the other girls began to look over.  Paine and Quistis being the only ones of the senior class, it wasn't like there was someone Sora could go to help for.  If Paine couldn't do it...

            "Alright, Sora.  You're so _good_ and all, I'll demonstrate and you do it after me.  M'kay?"  Yep, when Quistis talked that sweetly to _him of all people, Sora just knew things were going to go from bad to worse in several seconds flat.  Quistis took the practice flag Sora had held loosely in his hand and walked several paces away from the others, tucking a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear._

            With her left hand holding the pole where the bottom of the flag met it and her right hand resting on the bottom of the flag, Sora caught a small smirk of triumph from Quistis before she began the holder toss, all the while trying to make frantic notes in his mind as to what he was supposed to do for this toss.  _Left hand on top, right hand on bottom..._  With a flick of her right risk, the flag popped out of both hands, flipping up into the air in a perfect spin.  Quistis sat down on the warm blacktop before smoothly leaning back to lie on the ground as the flag flew back towards the ground, picking up the speed from gravity.  _Oh... shit._  Sora automatically saw that the flag would impale him if he didn't manage to get it into a proper spin and tried to keep the expression of worry off of his face.  As a completion to the move, Quistis flipping the flag horizontally so that is rested across her waist, before pulling herself back up into a sitting position and doing a smooth somersault, flag still intact.  In one fluent moment, she rolled out of the somersault and back to a standing position.

            Sora gawked at the girl in front of him who stood there waiting expectantly for him to try it.  Everything Quistis had done had been perfect and Sora couldn't even see a glimmer of hope for him as he took the flag Quistis handed him as she walked off to the side with the rest of the girls.

            Licking his lips nervously, Sora managed to mimic Quistis' starting stance.  _Well... There's always the hope that things won't get any worse after **this...  **_But somehow Sora doubted that very much as he flicked his bottom wrist, watching the flag pop up into the air.  Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Sora watched the flag move up into the air and begin its spin... But it wasn't complete before gravity had already began taking effect and pulling the flag down to earth.  

            Knowing that the toss was already failed, but unable to just give up that easily, Sora quickly laid down on the blacktop (or at least, as quickly as the seemingly sluggish time frame was letting him) and nervously looked to catch the falling flag.  Eyes widening, the natural instincts in Sora's mind kicked in, shouting orders like mad at him.  _There is a **falling object** headed straight for you!  What sort of idiot are you?!  If you were dumb enough and totally unskilled, this thing could knock you unconscious!_  Sure enough, the flag hadn't been able to make a complete rotation, and the tip of the pole was headed straight for Sora's chest.  **_MOVE_!**

            Sora gasped as he frantically rolled off to the side, the metal pole hitting the ground where he had been only seconds before with a sharp clang.  Time had sped up back to normal, Sora nearly shaking with worry that somehow _another_ flag would come falling down out of the sky towards him.  Everyone around him was in sullen quiet, Paine trying to keep her own frustration in check as Rikku linked their arms together and looked worriedly up at the older girl.  Quistis spoke first, her voice cold but still seeming to glow with triumph.

            "Try again, Sora."

            And Sora tried again.  And again, and again, and again.  This was the last thing the boy needed on top of everything else that had happened to him that day and several time Paine snapped at Quistis to stop making him do it, but each time Sora wouldn't.  If he could show Quistis he could do this, if he could prove it to himself, maybe that would make up for everything else that seemed to be falling downhill.  No one tried to stop him, although Paine looked just about stretched to the end of her rope, she was waiting.  _What the hell are you waiting for, Paine!  Make me stop!  Sure enough, Sora's body continued to scream in protest, both from the bruises it had acquired during multiple attempts at the toss as well as the constant fear of a metal object falling down on him from above._

            It must have been the tenth try at the toss for Sora.  Nearly growling in determination as he flipped the flag up into the air, he flew smoothly down onto the ground before realizing with a heavy heart that the flag would _still be nowhere close enough to making a full rotation, even worse off then he had been the very first time he had attempted the toss.  _Why can't I do this?!_  Sora's mind was trying to think of what he did wrong when it should have been telling him to move out of the way of the falling flag, again pointed straight towards his body..._

            Realizing what he'd been doing a little too late, Sora moved to duck away from the flag, only to find that it wasn't falling anymore.  An outstretched hand had caught the flag two feet from Sora's body as the spiky haired boy sighed in relief.  Wondering who it was who had finally decided to put an end to the torture he was putting himself through, Sora painfully sat up and peered around the flag, only to find a familiar silver haired boy holding the flag steady.

            And Riku did not look happy.

            Placing the flag on the ground, Riku's brilliant eyes narrowed into a glare thrown in Quistis' direction, causing the captain to wince as though she knew at that moment what was about to come hurtling out of the boy's mouth.  Riku spoke as calmly as he was able to force himself to do, though his voice was no less icy then his glare.

            "What the hell are you doing to him, Quistis?  This is total suicide if he doesn't know what he's doing beforehand!"  Glancing around Riku's form, not only did Sora notice that the rest of the color guard was trying to keep small smiles from their faces, but Sora also so the band director, Cid, standing in front of them with his thick arms crossed.  Though he obviously wasn't quite as angry as Riku, the man didn't look too pleased all the same.

            Cid then took Quistis aside and had a small talk with her as the rest of the girls departed, considering that day's practice over and done with.  After looking over at Riku and Sora, Paine gave them a small nod before leaving the blacktop along with Rikku, leaving only Sora, Riku, and Quistis as the band director finished his conversation with her and also disappeared into the school building.  Looking over at the two boys, Quistis glared at Sora.  Though the girl hadn't lost her position as captain, she'd received a warning she would rather not have even gotten in the first place, and Sora inwardly knew that Quistis was going to get her revenge, even if it wasn't as obvious as the previous time.

            "In case you didn't notice, Quistis, I think this pretty much clarify things.  Whatever meager little thing we had going is over.  Think twice before taking advantage of your position as captain again."  Riku turned to leave a raging Quistis in his wake and Sora, not knowing what else to do, followed.

            Once the two boys had left the school grounds, Sora having picked up his practice flag and backpack, it was obvious they were going to Sora's house, having missed the turn off onto Riku's street.  Both Sora and Riku were silent for quite some time, neither wanting to really be the first one to start up a conversation.  For one thing, part of Sora was still angry at Riku for having done all that to him in the first place, but he realized that he still loved Riku and that he wanted to do nothing more then just forgive his friend and hug every last breath out of the older boy, having had such a miserable day.

            Riku, meanwhile, was afraid he would say something wrong.  He didn't want to expect anything from Sora, for as Paine as said to him before she had left the boys' bathroom that afternoon, he didn't deserve it.  And although he thought what Paine said was absolutely true, he couldn't tell this to Sora for worry that it might look like he was begging which... well, was just completely going against his ethics.  Thankfully, it was Sora who spoke first, his innocent voice nearly making Riku sigh with relief.  For a while there, he'd though he would never hear Sora speak decently towards him ever again.

            "I'm still mad at you, ya know."  Granted, Riku could have wished for a better message, but hey.  It was still something.

            "I know.  And I probably can't say I'm sorry enough times to make up for it..."  Riku paused, trying to think of what else to say.  Yes, it was true, he probably couldn't say he was sorry enough, but that still didn't change the fact that Riku _was_ sorry.  "Okay, how can I make it up to you, Sora?  I'll do anything you want, just tell me and I'll do it!"  It was like the bets they'd used to make when they were little.  'If you win, I'll do whatever you tell me to do for an entire day, and if I win, you have to do whatever I say!'  Riku almost snickered at how childish he probably sounded, but he was too busy listening and waiting for Sora's answer.

            Sora, meanwhile, found that he was quickly slipping back into his old nature, already thinking of what exactly he could ask for from Riku.  _Anything_ he wanted from the older boy?  _Well, that could be pretty interesting...  Sora eventually dug his mind out of the gutter, feeling rather stupid at ever having thought some of those things in the first place.  Yes, if he had the guts to do so, he'd ask for Riku to kiss him or at least tell him how he felt about the younger boy.  But Sora was too afraid of what Riku's reaction would be, and eventually came to the conclusion that forcing that kind of thing out of Riku would not only be awkward, but probably not very sincere either.  So instead, Sora thought of something that would work out perfectly without revealing his feelings for the silver haired boy walking alongside him._

            "Okay.  Tell me what I can get you for your birthday."

            Riku's eyebrow furrowed together in concentration, not really having expected that demand from Sora.  _Hmm, it has to be something simple.  ...Heh, I could always ask for a hug.  ...But that would just be stupid.  _While Riku thought the question over, Sora looked at the ground, looked at his sneakers, looked at everything but Riku for fear of him babbling out, 'Wait, wait, I take it back!  Just kiss me you moron!  Then it'll all be okay!'  Assuring himself that his hormones were definitely out of whack, Sora only looked up after Riku had spoken.

            "How about your forgiveness?"

            "Huh?"  Sora cocked his head to the side in confusion.

            "Just forgive me for being such an ass and we'll call it even."

            That didn't seem like a very good gift as far as Sora was concerned.  He had planned on forgiving Riku anyway over time, but if it was what Riku really wanted...

            "...Hm...Okay!  Consider yourself forgiven, Riku."  Sora shot his older friend a brilliant grin, more then happy to give Riku his forgiveness. 

            Riku let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd even been holding in the first place.  Thank god that Sora would never change from his innocent, carefree self.  He wouldn't be able to live with any other kind of Sora.  It was like nothing had ever happened as they continued down the street towards Sora's house, Riku just happy to be in the younger boy's company and to know that his best friend would keep being his best friend, even though Riku probably wouldn't have been nearly as forgiving if he were in Sora's place.

            As Riku and Sora drew closer to Sora's house, Riku grabbed Sora's arm, pulling him back for a moment.  Sora blinked and looked up at his friend in surprise, his mind jolting into overdrive.  "Riku, wha--"

            "Why are you always so damn sweet?"

            Sora blinked rapidly, not quite grasping the fact that the person he wanted more then anyone in the world had just called him sweet.  Riku smiled down at his younger friend before pulling him into a hug, his face pressed against the soft mass of hair, Sora's head tucked against his neck.  Running a hand teasingly along Sora's back, Riku chuckled softly (Sora meanwhile was absolutely at a loss for words _and actions) before pulling out of the hug._

            "Just checking for wings, Sora."

....................................................................

_A Note on the Holder Toss_:

            Yep, I did this one!  The reason it's in this fic is because that was the move everyone had trouble with, even our captain.  I thought it'd fit in here well, especially seeing as it's so easy to get injured when you have a flag hurling down towards your body.  Though Sora is supposed to be quite good at guard due to his extra practice sessions, he never practiced the Holder Toss or anything like it.  Even the way you hold the flag in the beginning is totally off the board as far as any other toss is concerned, so Quistis picked it out because she _knew Sora wouldn't be able to do it without Paine's help.  Paine could never do the move, so naturally she was unable to help Sora.  (Note:  This does not mean Paine or anyone else unable to do that toss is bad at guard.  I know several seniors who __couldn't do the toss, but are just downright amazing otherwise!  XD)_

I'm not sure if any other high schools do the move, since our band director named it after himself (Mr. Holder) and we've been the only ones to use it.  But every bit of the move is completely from real life, and if you think it's easy... well, get a flag and try doing it.  The only problem I have with writing the move is that it's just plain hard to write.  ^^  Hope my random clip of guard-geekyness didn't bore you to tears _too_ much!

~~~

Sora's forgiveness of Riku might seem a little fast, but I always thought of Sora as being a generally forgiving person since he's so innocent to begin with.  ;  Anyway, I wish this chapter were a bit longer, but it _is six pages.  Besides, the next chapter will probably be... quite long.  XP  In the next chapter, both Riku's birthday and color guard tryouts are approaching and Sora gets invited to a little party.  _

As always, thanks for reading!

            ~Ori


	5. Running at Night

            First off, thanks again for the reviews.  ^^  They're what keeps me ticking!  I also need to point out that I'm updating every day because I'm currently on winter vacation.  In all likelihood, I won't be able to keep this kind of an update schedule once school starts up again next week.  *sigh*  But in the meantime I'll probably get to one chapter a day, hopefully.  

            If there's any questions about anything in the story, feel free to email me any time!  I've now decided to post my email address in my profile, so it's up there for anyone who needs it.  

            The beginning-middle of this chapter is almost completely devoted to Sora being in the color guard.  I know, I know, where's the Riku/Sora love?  It's starting to appear very, verrry slowly.  At the end of this chapter, as a matter of fact!  Right then, onto the chapter.

....................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Five**

'Running at Night'

            For the most part, the school week went by rather uneventfully.  Riku and Sora were back to sitting at the same old lunch table surrounded by the same old people, occasionally with Paine, Rikku, and possibly even Yuffie if the older girls were up to Selphie's continuous stream of babble.  Things had started looking much better just as suddenly as they had previously taken a turn for the worst, and Sora would find himself wondering at how weird it all was... but only once or twice.  Between Riku's upcoming birthday and approaching color guard tryouts, Sora was at the end of his rope.

            No matter what Riku said or how much the silver haired teen insisted that Sora had already given him his birthday present by forgiving him, Sora wanted to give the older boy something else.  What kind of gift was forgiveness after all?  And though everyone he knew assured him he would have no trouble at all during tryouts, Sora was still nervous about the entire thing, continuing his late-night practice sessions with Paine.  Throughout the entire week, Paine nearly had to force Sora to go back in his house, her excuse not only being that school was tomorrow, but they were both flat out exhausted.  

            Quistis, meanwhile, was avoiding Sora like the plague.  After nearly having lost her position as color guard captain, and having had a carton of milk hurled at her face, the blonde had gone from trying to make Sora's life a living hell every chance she got to just steering clear of the younger boy, occasionally throwing him an icy glare just to let him know that no matter how safe he felt, things were still far from over.

            Friday afternoon, Paine, Rikku, Sora, and Riku were all sprawled across the grass of Sora's backyard, several color guard flags lying forgotten off to the side.  Rikku's head was draped over Paine's stomach as the normally hyper-active girl happily took a  moment off of her bouncy nature to admire the fading sun before an idea popped into her mind.  Grinning, she sat up, looking at the three teenagers surrounding her.

            "Oooh!  Idea time!  I got it!  Why don't we all have a sleepover at my place, huh?  We can get as many guard girls together as possible and make it one huge party!"  Upon receiving blank looks from Sora and Riku, Rikku giggled before continuing.  "You guys could come too!  I dunno if my mom would be too happy with you spending the night though... Oh!  We can hide you in the closet until she falls asleep!  Yay!"

            "Or Sora and I could just walk down to my house when your mom says it's time for us to go."

            Rikku paused to think a moment before nodding eagerly.  "Yeah!  That'll work!"  Looking over her shoulder at Paine, who had sat up as well, Rikku beamed.  "See?  This'll totally be a blast!"  She hopped to her feet, dragging Paine up behind her and instantly snapped back into her hyperactive mindset.  "We'll go round up a horde of girls and meet you guys at my house, at umm.... Eight thirty.  Eight thirty's great!  Loads and loads of fun!  Come on, Paine!"

            Sora and Riku stared blankly after the two girls, slightly at a loss for words.  Finally Sora blinked and turned to look at Riku.  "I wonder if she always does that."

            "What, plan random parties and everything?"  Riku folded his arms behind his head as he laid back down on the grass to enjoy the last few minutes of daylight, Sora flopping over on the ground next to him as well.  "I dunno, really.  She was in my ninth grade biology class and seemed to get a kick out of gluing worksheets to Ms. Rubin's desk..."  Sora snickered at this, definitely able to picture Rikku as a freshman, laughing her head off as some poor teacher frantically tried to pick up the stray piece of paper.  "She's grown up a little though.  But yeah, she seems like the kind of person who would throw a random party like that."

            Sitting so close to Riku, Sora could even smell the older boy's noticeably gingery scent and his eyes began to droop slowly, the body heat shared by their close proximity slowly lulling him off into--

            "Oh _shit!"_

            Or not.  Eyes snapping open, Sora realized that Riku was scrambling to his feet and the younger boy stared at him in confusion.  "What?  What is it?"

            Dusting the grass off from his pants, Riku did his best to hurriedly explain.  "Mom and Dad are out for the weekend, I dropped Bruno off at the vet this afternoon to get some shots and I completely forgot!"

            Sora couldn't decide whether to laugh or feel sorry for his friend.  How was it that Riku, of all people, was forgetting to pick up his dog from the vet's when he'd only dropped Bruno off that very afternoon.  As it was, most of the older boy's afternoon had been spent doing that very task, the nearest vet being all the way on the other side of the large island.  In the late evening, when everyone would be coming home from work, Sora wouldn't be surprised if it took Riku an hour and a half just to get to his dog in the first place.

            Knowing that Bruno was in no grave danger, Sora drew his bottom lip out into an unhappy pout.  "So you won't be making it to Rikku's then?"  Damn.  He'd been looking forward to spending the rest of the evening with Riku in that kind of scene.  It probably would've been fun...

            "Hey, it's not like I won't be back 'til morning!  I'll get over there as soon as I get back, okay?  I promise, Sora!"  Riku was already starting to head around the side of Sora's house towards his car.   

            "Fine, but if you're not there by the time I'm tired and ready to go to sleep, don't charge me for breaking and entering your house!"

            "Got it!"  And Riku disappeared, leaving a rather disgruntled Sora alone in his backyard.

~~~~~~~

            "Sora, Paine's here!  Get a move on!"

            A bleary eyed Sora blinked away before realizing what time it was.  _Shit_!  Sora lunged out of bed, racing around his room for an extra set of clothes, bag, brush... _Brush!  Brush the hair, brush the hair...  After raking the poor brush through his messy spikes several times, Sora tossed the worn object into the old backpack at the foot of his bed along with everything else.  Slipping off the slightly grass-stained white shirt he'd worn to school that afternoon, Sora then began yet another frantic search for a decent t-shirt._

            "SORA!"

            Having found a simple gray shirt tossed over the back of his chair, Sora hurriedly tried to tug it on over it head, naturally getting stuck.  "I'm comi-- OW!"  After crashing into both a wall and his closet door, Sora finally managed to navigate his head through the proper hole of the tight shirt, ramming his arms through as well.  Okay, so it was a little small and didn't exactly cover all of his midriff.  Impatiently tugging the small shirt down as far as he could, Sora swung the backpack over his shoulder and ran out the door, scooping up a toothbrush and toothpaste out of the bathroom during his mad dash.  Nearly falling down the last five stairs, Sora skidded to a halt in front of the front door, blinking up innocently at both Bryna and Paine, who stood there smirking at the young boy in amusement.

            Patting her son on the head, making Sora feel rather like a puppy, Bryna said her goodbyes, a spatula in her other hand.  It was usually a tradition Bryna had of cooking herself an omelet every time she had the house to herself.  Sora new quite knew why it was an _omelet _instead of something more gourmet, but he never bothered to ask.  Make his mother just had a secret omelet fetish.  That thought alone was enough to make Sora fall over in laughter for quite some time.

            "And behave at Riku's house!"

            "Yeah, Mom. As opposed to the other times that I _don't_?"  Much to Sora's disappointment, it seemed to him that not much had changed in their relationship since that Monday when Riku walked Sora home from practice and hugged him that way.  Sora had gone home and drifted upstairs to his room after that, flopping over on his bed and spending the rest of the evening lost in his own happy daydreams.  As much as Sora would like to have their friendship grow into something more, Riku's little escapade with Quistis had only made him even more unsure of exactly which way his friend swung.  And not to mention the fact that Sora often reminded himself, he would probably be too chicken to go through with any of his plans anyway.

            As Paine pulled out of Sora's driveway several minutes later, Sora was no longer half-asleep, though he realized he hadn't done a very good job of brushing his hair.  But it wasn't like it mattered anyway.  He was just going to spend the evening in a loud room where he'd be the only boy, way into the late hours of the night.  Were he any other boy in his grade, he'd probably have died of happiness by then.  But Riku wasn't able to make it, so it just snapped back into being a normal party.  

            "So you've never been to one of Rikku's parties before, right?  There's probably a few things you should know..." Paine said with a small smile as the car turned off Sora's street.  Sora, always the one to inspect people's driving skills, noticed that although Paine was an excellent driver, she didn't have the same daring nature Riku did.  No, Paine focused on one thing at a time, not taking her eyes off the road, not playing loud music, simply speaking to Sora but looking at the road in front of her.  Riku would've been driving with one hand, joking with Sora loudly to be heard over some blaring radio station, and probably drinking a soda all at the same time.  _Yet another thing I love about that stupid guy._

            "She's got some interesting party games..."

            "I totally dominate at pin the tail on the donkey, Paine," Sora said with a snicker.

            "Oh what, so you want me to just let you find out all for yourself?"  Paine raised an eyebrow, a smile creeping across her face.

            "Sure!  I love surprises."

            Once Paine and Sora had gotten to Rikku's house, Rikku's mother (who looked no older then her late thirties) showed them to the basement, loud music greeting their ears as soon as the door was opened.  Christmas lights hung around the walls, random pillows and blankets scattered across the floor, a chorus of female voice suddenly squealing over the pulsing music.

            "Sora's here!"

            "Oooh, Sora's here?  That means Paine's here too!  Yay, Paine!"  That was quite obviously Rikku, Sora figured with a grin as he and Paine made their way into the basement.  No sooner had he reached the last step did Yuffie spring out of nowhere and tackle him to the ground.  

            "_Yes!  We've got him alone, _finally_!"_

            Pure alarm ringing through Sora's brain, he was completely taken aback when the older girl began tickling him mercilessly.  

            "We've got some queeestions for you, So-ra!"  Kairi and Selphie appeared behind Yuffie, grinning wickedly.  Paine, he could see, would be of no help to him since she was laughing and joking along with Rikku and Yuna.  Though his friend did turn around at one point during Yuffie's brutal tickling attack, Paine just snickered softly.  

            "_Paine!  Aren't you going to _save _me or something?!"  Sora barely managed to squeak out between laughter, still all the while trying to get away from Yuffie.  Kairi and Selphie got behind him and dragged their friend back to his feet, each of them pulling him up by one arm.  Sora was still laughing and having a good time, though the back of his mind wondered how much more fun it would be if Riku were there with him._

            "Sora, have you ever played Mau?"  Yuna waved over at him as several of the girls looked up and ran over to her, a thick deck of cards cradled between her hands.  All three sophomores including Sora exchanged looks of confusion before shaking their heads.  As they moved over to sit in the rapidly forming circle of girls, Yuna explained while dealing out cards from the huge pile.  "No one can tell you the rules until after you win the game, got it?"

            Yuna split the remaining cards and placed them in the center of the circle.  Selphie beamed, always excited to learn more new games.  "Ooh!  That sounds fun!"  Reaching for the small pile of cards in front of her, Selphie soon discovered Rule #1 of Mau.

            "No touching the cards before the game begins!" Rikku squealed delightedly as Yuna added another card to Selphie's pile.

            "Whaaat?  Hey!  No fair!"

            "That's the rules of Mau, Selphie!  Tough luck!" Rikku shot back with a wicked grin.

            "Okay, Mau has begun, you can now pick up your hand."  Everyone in the circle did so and Sora blinked at his cards.  Never had felt more confused at something as simple as a card game.  Perhaps it would be easier if he knew exactly what it was he was trying to do...  Not having much time to dwindle on his thoughts, Sora began to discover that one hesitation in Mau was another penalty.  

            "Failure to _play_!" Rikku would shout as Kairi would stare blankly at the cards in front of her.  Bing, another card was added to her hand.

            "Failure to knock!" Yuffie handed Selphie another card, causing the younger girl to whine in distress at her ridiculously large hand of cards.

            "Failure to name a Beetle, Sora." Paine reminded the boy as he set a ten of spades on top of the stack of cards in the middle of the circle.  One of the most memorable Mau moments must have been Sora's poor attempt at naming a 'beetle' as he played a ten of diamonds card and grinned, triumphantly saying, "Dung Beetle!"  Too bad Sora didn't quite realize that a dung beetle wasn't exactly Paul McCartney as the girls around him burst into laughter.  After nearly an hour of Mau-goodness, Sora was pleasantly surprised to find that he was actually beginning to understand the twisted card game.  All he had to remember was to knock on the floor after playing a card of hearts, don't do anything when playing a card of diamonds or clubs, announce the name of the card if it was a spade, and name a member from the Beetles when playing a ten.  But there was no amount of knowledge that could save poor Sora from being slaughtered in the game, Yuna being named the twelve-time Mau Queen.

            Once the cards were put away, Yuffie finally got her moment.  Crawling over to sit next to Sora, a soda in one hand, Yuffie grinned at the younger boy.  "Okay!  So now we get to play traditional old truth or dare!"  Sora had a very bad feeling about this.  

            "I say Sora's first!  Sora first!"  Rikku bounced up and down on the basement sofa, Paine giving Sora a smug look which blatantly said, 'I _tried to warn you, but you just wouldn't listen.'  Obviously, there was something here that was completely over Sora's head, though he was about to find out just what it was._

            "Okay, Sora, truth or _dare_?" Yuffie smirked as she sat back, resting her elbows on the coffee table behind her.  Not doubting for a moment that the dark haired girl had something planned no matter which one he chose, Sora picked truth.  He was quite content sprawled across a large pillow and didn't feel like getting up to perform a dare in the first place.  The room went ominously quiet with the exception of a giggle from Selphie (who was quickly shut up by Kairi, of course) and Sora wondered if he'd picked the wrong category.  Trying not to let his nervousness show, the coppery haired boy took a deep drink from his soda as Yuffie finally popped the truth question.

            "Do you like, Riku, Sora?"

            Poor Sora nearly choked on the drink which was already halfway down his throat, coughing several times before being able to speak at all.  And even then, he shot Paine a hurt look, though was quickly corrected.

            "Oh, honestly, Sora, I haven't told them anything."  Paine rolled her eyes.

            "Yeah, Sora, hate to tell ya, but you're not exactly the most discreet person in the world," Yuffie chimed in.  "We were all wondering for a _really_ long time, actually.  I mean, you're always looking at him in that really _cute_ way you do and you were so mad about the whole Quistis thing... And he's so protective of you and all..."  Yuffie giggled and adhered herself to Sora's side in a near bone-crushing hug.  "Aww!  That's so cute!"

            Selphie spoke up next, though Sora was having slight trouble breathing, so he wasn't exactly focusing on what the girl was saying.  "Yep, yep!  Even Kairi and I were wonderin' about it, so when Rikku said both you _and Rikku were coming, we were trying to figure out a way we could... well, ya know, hook you guys up!"_

            Sora did however, manage to catch those last few words and as Yuffie finally let go, his eyes widened.  "You were going to _what??"_

            "But _then when we found out that Riku couldn't make it, we came up with a little _different_ plan!" Selphie continued cheerily, completely unabashed by Sora's stunned reaction.  Rikku, meanwhile, had hopped up from the couch and moved over to a small closet the basement had.  After several moments of scrambling around, Rikku finally emerged, cradling a cardboard box in her arms triumphantly.  _

            Sora blinked, continuing to be stunned, though part of him couldn't help but wonder if this would be the worst thing that ever happened to him, or if this just might be the trick he'd been looking for all along.  Obviously, the color guard had been planning this for quite some time, and just that thought alone was enough to give Sora hope that perhaps the girls knew what they were doing.  Most of them were older then him after all, so why not trust them, right?  

~~~~~~~

            Twelve thirty had been the time limit Rikku's mother had set for Sora.  At twelve thirty-seven, Rikku was frantically fanning Sora's... hip.  

            "Rikkuuu... Cut it out!  This is embarrassing!" Sora whined.

            "Oh, hush!  There's no one here to be embarrassed in front of!  Besides, this needs to dry!" Rikku frowned at the loopy henna design Yuna had artfully planted on the boy's hip.  The horde of color guard girls never seemed to grow tired of "brushing up Sora", as they had so lovingly come to calling it.  In two hours, Sora had been forced to change his thick normal socks for low cut _girl's socks ("Sora, show off your sexy ankles!"  "I don't __have sexy ankles, Rikku!"  "Don't be modest!"), had a very small amount of eyeliner applied (compliments of Paine), and had a new wardrobe selected.  Almost everyone took the art of selecting the outfit very seriously.  _

            Some time after being assured that he would not be forced to wear girl's panties, Sora found himself blinking at his reflection in the mirror, decked out in the standard attire of a teenage _girl_.

            A small black t-shirt with white stitching felt like it barely covered his torso, though it really wasn't all that much smaller then the gray shirt he'd worn over to Rikku's in the first place.  The ornate flowery henna design was clearly visible between the thin fabric of his shirt and the waistband of his pants, which also seemed to cling to him like a second skin.  Not to mention the rather humiliating fact that the girls had selected a pair of pants that laced up the sides ("See, Sora?  Now you can see your ankles _through_ the _sides of the pants!"  "Shut _up_ about my stupid _ankles_!").  Other then his boxers, the only thing Sora had been allowed to continue wearing were his yellow sneakers, and that was only because he couldn't fit into the pair of black sneakers Rikku had offered to supply.  _

            As Sora gaped at his reflection, Rikku squealed and pranced up behind him, fastening a small, thin silver choker (sporting a little matching silver crown pendant, of course) around Sora's slim neck.  She grinned at her fine work, the rest of the girls cheering for themselves for the job well done.  Even Sora had to admit... It was definitely a big change from the less sexy innocent little Sora.  Though it wasn't like his personality would drastically change with a simple switch of clothes.

            As quietly as they could, the group of girls accompanied Sora up the stairs and towards the front door, not wanting to let Rikku's mother know of the slight run over their little time limit.  Thankfully, it didn't look as though Sora would going to turn into a pumpkin or anything just after staying a few extra minutes, Rikku's mom fast asleep on the second floor of the house.  Before she would let Sora go, Rikku insisted that each member of the color guard give the boy a word of advice.  More utter humiliation for Sora, but all the same it was still quite amusing.

            Several lewd comments and jeering suggestions later, Rikku supplied Sora with what she deemed the most important sexual advice he would ever learn.

            "What, always use protection?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "No!  Jeeze, you dummy."  Rikku rolled her eyes at the younger boy's apparent stupidity.  "Three words.  Suck.  Your.  Fingers."  Sora's cheeked turned a beet red color as Rikku continued happily.  "I don't care how you do it, just eat something and suck the remaining stuff off your fingers!  Or suck a lollipop, I don't care, but don't forget about it, okay?"

            "Ehehe... I'll... try not to... Rikku..." he mumbled as he struggled to banish certain images from his mind.  Thankfully, Paine was the last one to wish him 'good luck' and she made it short and simple, just like always.

            "Don't freeze."  Paine smiled at Sora, crossing her arms.  Expecting something more from his close friend, Sora blinked up at her for a moment before she finally rolled her eyes and practically shoved the younger boy out the front door--

            Onto Riku, who had just been about to ring the doorbell.  The weather outside had taken a slight turn for the worst, a thin drizzle coming from the sky.  Oddly enough, Sora found himself thanking the face that the eyeliner Paine used was waterproof... And then found himself wondering why he really cared all that much in the first place.  Quickly skittering off to the side, surprised by Riku's sudden presence, Sora looked back at the still open door.

            Rikku grinned.  "Huh, looks like rain.  Guess you better run, boys!  Have fun!"  Click.  The front door was closed, a rapid scuffling sound heard behind it.  Sora had very little doubt in his mind that all of the girls were trying to find a decent window to look out of so they could spy on Riku and Sora as they left Rikku's house.  

            Riku shook his head in surprise before turning to Sora, grateful for the temporary shelter the roof jutting out slightly past the house provided.  "Sorry I couldn't come sooner, Sora.  Bruno wouldn't exactly get in and out of the car easily," Riku said, laughing slightly.  Sora chuckled as well, knowing just how lazy Riku's enormous basset hound could be.  Both teens stood there for a moment on Rikku's doorstep, looking out at the rain, aware of the fact that it was slowly becoming more then just a mere drizzle.  Finally Riku grinned and spoke up.

            "Well, looks like we have to run after all."

            No sooner had both of them stepped off the stoop of Rikku's house did the sky really break open, sending torrents of cool water pouring down on them both as their sneakers pounded across the sidewalk, across the street, occasionally slipping into muddy grass as they made the frantic dash towards Riku's house.  Sora yelped as he nearly lost his balance which would have sent him tumbling into a growing puddle (and no doubt having earned Rikku's wrath for the wreck of her clothes later on), only to have Riku grab his wrist at the last second, pulling the smaller boy back to his feet with ease.  Laughing, Riku didn't seem to bother letting go of Sora's wrist as they continued running, neither of them caring that their legs were tired, their bodies soaked and gasping for air.  _I need to remember to go running like this every night..._  Sora looked over at Riku to find his older friend's platinum hair plastered against his skin from the torrents of rainwater coming down on them both, all of his clothes clinging to his well toned body.  Sora grinned, quickly averting his glace before Riku could catch him staring, although his speech dealt out to him by the color guard told him to keep looking, keep checking out his best friend.  _Yep, I'll definitely need to do **this** again._

"What?  Hey!  They're gone, I can't see 'em anymore!" Rikku complained as she pressed her face against the glass of the window.  Paine elbowed the girl in her ribs, laughing.

            "Of course they're _gone_, Rikku.  They're sleeping at Riku's house, remember?"

            "Well, _yeah, but I was hoping to see some action or _something_!  I mean, we put so much work into that kid!"  Rikku pouted, leaning against the wall of her bedroom.  _

            Yuffie swung her feet back and forth above the ground, perched on Rikku's bed, Selphie and Kairi giggling next to her.  Grinning, Yuffie crossed her legs, a smug look on her face.  "Don't worry, Rikku!  I've got a pretty good feeling about this..."

....................................................

            And that wraps up this chapter!  Finally, I'm going to get to write an entire chapter of happy Riku/Sora fun!  ...Not _that_ kind of fun.  T__T   I still plan on keeping this fic with it's PG-13 rating and all.  Not to mention the fact that I simply can't write a lemon.  I don't know how to nor do I have to guts to.  Ahem.  Anyway, I think this was a pretty nice long chapter.  You're not supposed to understand the rules of Mau, in case you were wondering.  I just added that in there because I learned to play the game at a sleepover much like this one (minus cross-dressing boys, sadly) and I just think it helps add a little bit of mad confusion humor to the story.

            ^^;  I was planning on taking the rest of the year off of writing, but I had so much extra time today I figured I might as well just type this up!  But before I forget, I just feel I need to point out the other reasons I made Paine have an interest in girls.  I realized it this afternoon while eating my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, oddly enough.  When I first decided to put her in the story, she wasn't going to be paired with Rikku.  I mean, I didn't want _everyone_ in the story to be gay, after all.  But once I finally got around to figuring out some of the plot in my mind, I decided to change her sexual orientation for many reasons.  

One of them, as several people have noticed, is because I wanted her relationship to sort of be like Riku's and Sora's.  Another reason is because I figured it would easier for Sora to build a really trustworthy friendship with her if both of them had that in common.  Not to mention it would be easier for Paine to carry out the supportive/advice-giving duties I made her have.  o.o;  And last but not least, the important factor I realized while eating my sandwich.  I didn't want to start hating Paine!  I knew that if I made her the way she is, minus her sexual orientation, even **I** would start wondering if she was interested in Sora and that wouldn't go over so well at all.  XD  So now the in-depth reasons behind Paine being the way she is have been revealed and I would like to wish you all a very happy new year!  

In the next chapter, I get to have absurd amounts of fun writing about a hormone-crazed sleepover.  *laughs wickedly*

~Ori


	6. Totally Symbolic

Wow, sorry this took so long to update.  ;  But it's here, the brilliantly strange chapter six, which will probably only seem weird and quite out of place but... Hopefully I'll tie all the ends up together in one pretty bow during the following chapters! 

...............................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Six**

'Totally Symbolic'

            Sora made sure to pay close attention to Riku that evening.  Another lesson he'd learned from the guard is to always look, look, and look again to make sure that someone was paying attention.  If that someone wasn't paying attention, Sora was told to make them do so.  So when he and Riku finally stumbled through the door, soaked to the bone and grinning like idiots, Sora paid very close attention to Riku as the older boy flipped on a light switch and turned to his younger friend.  Needless to say, if it were physically possible, Riku's jaw probably would have hit the floor.

            Deeming Riku's reaction as not being good enough, Sora stuck his thumbs through the loopholes of the borrowed jeans, the applied pressure tugging the waistband just low enough so that Riku would quite clearly be able to see Yuna's henna artwork.  "So, like it, Riku?"  Sora hadn't meant to sound teasing at all, but he realized that's probably how he sounded.  Oh well, he was getting the reaction he wanted from Riku, what else mattered?  Following Riku's eyes as they trailed down to the intricate pattern on Sora's hip, the boy grinned inwardly.  _I think I need to keep score of this one.  And, if I may say so myself, I'm definitely in the lead, one to zip.  Hah.  _

Coming back to his senses, Riku grinned down at Sora.  "Looks great."  Seeing the younger boy's slight pout at not having gotten more words out of Riku only caused the older boy to laugh inwardly as he began walking past Sora, tracing one finger along the henna design which adorned his hip as he passed him.  "And _that_ looks pretty sexy."

            Sora's eyes widened as he attempted to keep himself from squeaking at the sudden contact, spinning around only to find Riku pulling off his shoes and leaving them by the door.  Oh right, everything on and around them was soaking wet... Sora figured he probably should have taken his shoes off as well, but for something reason his knees weren't quite functioning properly.  Hadn't Paine specifically told him _not_ to freeze?  _Damn.  That'd probably make us tied one to one.  _Rather then taking the time to bother regaining control of his knees, Sora instead just slipped his shoes off standing up, his mind still talking itself in crazed circles about points, henna, and freezing wet clothes.

            "Sora?"

            Pulled out of his thoughts by Riku's voice, Sora snapped his head up to find that Riku had somehow drifted away from the door and towards the kitchen without the younger boy noticing.  "Huh?"

            Riku raised an eyebrow and tried to conceal his smirk as he repeated the question for the third time.  "I asked if you wanted anything to eat."  Stepping over his shoes, Sora jogged over next to Riku, grudgingly continuing to keep score in his mind.  Riku probably scored points for showing Sora up in the concentration department...  _One to two.How could he be **losing his own game?  **_

            "Nah, I'm fine, Ri--  ...Riku?  What is Bruno _doing_?"  Sora blinked stupidly at Riku's dog, who was suddenly _gnawing_ Sora's ankle.  _Well.  Good thing Rikku isn't here to point out that the dog is munching on my "sexy" ankles.  It didn't really hurt, but then again, Sora realized the dog wasn't exactly applying much pressure... just mindlessly chewing on Sora.  Riku turned around and burst into laughter at the sight of poor Sora's face as Bruno stopped chewing, now intently licking Sora's ankle.  Seeing that Riku wasn't exactly going to call off his mentally disturbed basset hound anytime soon, Sora made an attempted escape, only to find himself face down on the floor the next second.  Bruno had, of course, tripped up the boy and was now sitting on top of him licking his face intently.  _

            Oddly enough, Riku found he was actually jealous of his dog as he finally moved to pry the heavy animal off Sora's chest, the younger boy gasping for air.  Riku continued to chuckle as he pulled his friend to his feet, heading towards the stairs leading up to the second floor.  "Sora, you coming?"

            "No, I'm not even breathing heavily..." Sora mumbled.

            "What?!"  Riku's eyes widened, the boy certain he was hearing things.

            "I'm right behind you Riku."  

            Shrugging off his backpack as he entered Riku's bedroom, Sora smiled at the cleanliness of the place.  Where there would be mountains of clothes, books, old homework papers, and just random assortments of _junk_ in Sora's own room, Riku's room was calm, orderly, and just clean.  Not so clean that it would force one to insanity, but it was clean nonetheless.  Sora knelt down next to his bag as Riku appeared in the room, chucking a towel at Sora's turned back.  Looking up, Sora smiled as Riku walked past him, toweling off his damp silver hair.   

            Once Sora was safely down the hall brushing his teeth and getting out of Rikku's soaking wet clothes, Riku grinned to himself, changing into his sweatpants and old blue t-shirt.  Finding Sora dressed like that had been one hell of a surprise, and Riku was wondering if he possibly made the right choice in running down to pick up Bruno when he could have been going to the color guard's party.  It was _definitely a nice spicy change from the cute and innocent Sora, though Riku felt that Sora was Sora, no matter how he looked.  Shaking his head, Riku dragged his mind away from his best friend as he finished drying off his hair._

            "_I'm Talking Tina, and I don't think I like you very much."_

            "Yagh!"  Wheeling around to the small TV set in the corner of his room, Riku blinked in surprise at Sora, who was comfortably sitting on the ground, eyes glued to the screen.  "Sora?  Wh-- How... Where did _you_ come from?"

            Sora blinked at his older friend as though he'd just asked the dumbest question in the world.  "Riku... I came from the _bathroom."_

            "Oh."  _Wow, I must really have been out of it._Turning his attention to the program Sora was so intently watching, Riku rolled his eyes, moving over to sit next to the spiky haired boy.  The old episode from The Twilight Zone was Sora's favorite, Talking Tina, the story of a talking doll who grows to hate some poor girl's father, father hates doll too, doll attempts to kill father, yadda, yadda, yadda.   Despite the rickety plot line, Sora had grown to love that one particular episode, as well as growing a life-long fear of dolls from it.  

            Riku watched Sora out of the corner of his eye, constantly amused by the animated reactions the boy gave to the episode.  When the father figure on the TV gaped at the empty trash can, where he was _sure_ he had left that hellish doll, Sora would bite his bottom lip and wince as high-pitched laughter filled the room, causing the father to wheel around in panic and confusion.  When he had gone upstairs, convinced his mind just needed rest, Sora's eyes were wide, seeing the demented doll in the hallway, even though dearest daddy failed to notice it.  And when the mother finally found her poor husband dead at the foot of the stairs and the doll was crumpled up next to his broken body, Sora would mumble, "You idiot!  Don't go down there!  She'll _kill_ you!"  

            When the credits finally started rolling, the eerie theme song kicking in, Sora turned off the TV, submerging the bedroom into total darkness.  The moment was just too much for Riku to resist.

            "Hello, Sora.  I'm Talking Tina, and I don't think I-- Oof!"  Riku lost his breath as Sora latched onto the older boy as though he were his only anchor to that world.  Lose Riku, lose yourself.  Whatever it was, it didn't matter, because Riku was having difficulty breathing.  "Sora.... It was just a ... joke!"  After only getting a muffled whine from Sora, Riku laughed and wrestled the boy off him, invoking the first move of a long play fight between the two in the pitch black of Riku's room.  As the two laughed and fought, they rolled over and Sora's back hit the nearby stereo, causing it to burst into song.

            "_But I would walk five-hundred miles, and ah-I would walk five-hundred more, just to be the man who walks  a thousand miles to fall down at your door!"  Shoving Riku off him, so he was no longer pinned against the blaring stereo, Sora fell on top of his friend, both of them laughing as the song droned on.  By now their eyes had adjusted to the darkness and the small amount of moonlight coming in through Riku's window helped in the whole seeing process a bit.  _

            "Hey!  I won!"

            "Yeah, yeah, only because I _let_ you."

            "Oh no, Riku!  Gravity's increasing on me!"

            "Wha-- Ouch."  Sora stopped supporting his own weight, collapsing down on top of his friend.  Although Sora didn't weigh that much at all, it wasn't exactly expected on Riku's part.  But whatever discomfort Sora's decent had brought was quickly remedied by the warmth the smaller body on top of him gave off, and Riku grudgingly admitted to himself that if Sora chose never to move again, well, it was alright by him.  After several minutes of lying there, in which Sora stopped snickering and the radio had switched songs, Riku heard Sora yawn and looked up at him.

            "Tired?"

            "Sorta."

            "What'd I miss at the party?"

            Thankfully, the darkness around them kept Riku from seeing a slight blush creep up onto Sora's face.  Though their current position would suggest that Riku might not mind Sora's feelings towards him, Sora reminded himself that they'd always been able to make such close contact, since the two had been best friends since they were little.  It was probably just normal of Riku not to shove Sora off, and nothing was different from all the other time's they'd wrestled together.  Nothing was different. 

            "Not much," Sora finally answered.  "Hehe, though they figured it'd be fun to dress me up.  It was... interesting.  Yuna did the henna design... Rikku picked out the clothes... It was fun as hell, but I wish you'd been there... How was your boring old drive across the island?"

            Riku could easily tell that Sora was about to fall asleep any second, but he talked anyway.  Sora slowly began to nod off, lulled to sleep by Riku's quiet voice as well as the body heat the older boy gave off.

            "It wasn't all that exciting.  Passed a bunch of weirdoes on the way down, though.  But it wasn't so bad.  At the vet there was this family with this ancient old dog, huge monster, but real cute.  They must've been putting the dog down, because this little girl was crying and hugging that dog like crazy, burying her face in the old mutt's coat.  The dog didn't seem to mind.  If he knew what was going to happen to him, he just seemed like he accepted it... Accepted death.  But the little kid was crying up a storm and I was sitting there feeling awful, waiting for the assistant to just bring me my dog so I could get the hell outta there because I just felt awful.

            "Then the girl's mom sat down on the floor next to her, patting the old dog and talking to the girl.  She said... She said not to worry, because Bear, I guess that was the dog's name... because Bear was going to be happy where he was going and he'd stop hurting.  So the little girl turns to her mom and whines about not being able to see Bear again, so of course he couldn't be happy... And her mom just looks at her."  

            Riku, realizing Sora had fallen asleep at that moment, smiled softly.  He gently lifted Sora off of him, only causing the younger boy to stir slightly as he was lowered onto Riku's bed, Riku sitting next to him.  Sora must've been half asleep, for his slewed words were barely audible as he spoke to Riku.

            "Then what?"

            "...Her mom said she didn't have all the answers."

            "Oh..."  Riku felt Sora burrow against his chest and absentmindedly wondered if the younger boy was awake enough to feel Riku's heart flip.  Probably not.  Thankfully.  

~~~~~~~

            _Sora yawned and stretched out across the roof, looking up at the sky.  Half of it was night, half of it was day, and it didn't seem at all strange to Sora that the sun and the moon were sharing the same sky at the same time.  Just normal, not different.  Nothing was different.  _

_            Sitting up, Sora looked around for Riku.  He was lonely up there on that roof and there weren't even birds up in the sky to watch.  There was nothing.  But if there was nothing, was there Riku, or what it all just nothing?  If Riku was there, then was Riku part of nothing or was Riku nothing itself?  No, Riku would never be nothing.  Sora giggled at his own foggy logic as sure enough, the familiar silver haired boy appeared on the rooftop, walking towards Sora.  _

"Mm, hi... Riku..."

            "Sora?"

            _As Riku walked towards him, Sora waved and stood up.  Finally!  He wouldn't have to be bored out of his mind and totally alone up there.  _

"Sora, are you awake?"

            "..."

            "Guess not."

            _"Riku!__  I've been looking for y--"  Sora's eyes widened in surprise as his friend covered him mouth with his hand.  Riku smiled softly at the surprised reaction, nodding towards the sky and removing his hand, though something told Sora to stay quiet.  _

_            "Can you believe it?  Look, Sora, can you see it?"  Sora **was** looking, but he was frustrated he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.  What was Riku talking about?  Sun, moon, sky, rooftops, all the same.  What was so different?  Then Sora saw it.  The stars were actually moving!  They weren't just normal falling stars, but it looked like they were being pulled closer towards the earth, towards Sora and Riku, standing on that one roof.  As they grew closer, Sora smiled, realizing they weren't stars, but people._

_            "Riku, what are they?" Sora asked in fascination, his eyes riveted on the people who were falling from the sky, one by one._

_            "They're angels, dummy.  Can't you tell?"_

_            Sora squinted, trying to get a better look.  "No they're not!  They don't have wings!  What sort of angel doesn't have wings?"_

_            "You're right, Sora."  Riku turned to look down at his friend, a soft, sad smile on his face.  But Riku wasn't there anymore, Sora realized.  He was... fading.  Sora could see right through him to the night sky on the other side, his best friend hardly visible anymore.  _

"Riku..."

            "What?"

            _"Riku!__  Hey!  You can't run away, that's cheating!... You're cheating..."  Sora sat down on the rooftop, not knowing what to do now that Riku had disappeared.  The "angels" stopped moving, as though frozen in time, and they no longer looked like people.  They had changed back to stars, rooted forever on the night side of the sky, while the sun continued to cast its warm light on the other.  Sora opened his eyes and looked around.  Riku was there, nothing was different.  Delighted that he hadn't lost his friend, Sora grinned and hugged the silver haired boy, happily finding that he wasn't transparent, that he wasn't going to disappear._

"Mm... don't leave again, Ri...ku..."

            "Huh?"  Riku looked down at Sora again.  But the boy was still asleep, all the talking obviously stemmed from some sort of dream of his.  Part of Riku wished Sora was actually conscious when asking him not to leave.  All the same, Riku smiled and eventually drifted off to sleep, no longer aware of the sleeping body next to him.

~~~~~~~

            Sora's eyes cracked open as he looked around the room.  The first thing he noticed was that he was alone.  This instantly brought panic from last night's dream back, Sora's half-asleep mind snapping back into its full awareness. Untangling himself from the sheets of Riku's bed, Sora flew out the bedroom door and looked around the hallway.  No Riku there.  The second thing Sora noticed drew out a sigh of relief from the boy as he plodded down the stairs.  With the smell of pancakes lingering in the air, Sora couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't noticed it earlier.  

            "Oh, hey, Sora.  Finally decide to wake up?"

            Sora was so happy to find Riku there, flipping pancakes as though it were second nature to him, he could hardly keep himself from tackling the older boy in a delighted bear hug.  Surprised, though not exactly upset by the sudden burst of affection, Riku looked down at Sora, then back up at the pancakes.  Down at Sora... back at pancakes.  Oh, the pancakes could just burn.

            "Riku!  Gooood morning!"  Sora grinned and released his friend after several moments and proceeded to swipe a pancake off the plate next to the stove, shoving it happily into his mouth.  Riku rolled his eyes as he turned off the stove and opened the refrigerator door, fishing out some grapes and strawberries, placing them on the counter next to the plate of pancakes.  Standing up and closing the door, Riku blinked at the now empty counter space.  "Huh?  Hey, wha-- Sora!"

            The younger boy sat at the kitchen table fruit and pancakes set up in front of him, happily eating away without an apparent care in the world.  How very Sora-like.

            Sighing and pulling a banana out of the fruit basket in the middle of the table, Riku peeled the long fruit and bit into it, munching mindlessly before looking over at Sora.  No sooner had Sora seen Riku reach for a banana did he himself reach for some grapes, a fruit showdown in the making.  Raising an eyebrow, Sora twirled his tongue lazily around the grape held between his fingertips before finally popping the small fruit into his mouth, chewing slowly.  _And that's two to two!  Hah!  Beat that, Riku._  As though reading the smaller boy's mind, Riku smirked and ran the tip of his own tongue roughly along the banana's surface before nibbling at the tip of the fruit.  Sora stopped eating grapes then and didn't feel like eating much thereafter.  Apparently the younger boy didn't deal well with distractions at the breakfast table, Riku discovered with triumph.  But that didn't stop him from _finishing the banana._

            After three more slow and sensual bites from the cursed fruit, Sora was near pulling out his hair.  He'd given up keeping score.  Humph, he always lost anyway.  When Sora felt about ready to explode, he finally blurted out, "_Riku_!  What are you _doing?"_

            "Well, this is a banana."  Riku waved the half-eaten banana in his hand back and forth in front of Sora's face slowly before continuing.  "This is my mouth..."  With his free hand, the silver haired boy pointed lazily to his smirking mouth.  "And I'm--" 

            Riku didn't finish before Sora's forehead his the table, the younger boy moaning in distress.

~~~~~~~

            "Sora!  SoraSoraSora!  Tell us _everything _that happened!  Come on, spill it!" Rikku exclaimed in excitement, jumping up and down.  It was late afternoon, Sora having just gotten home from Riku's.  Paine and Rikku had been inside Paine's house, but no sooner had Riku's car pulled out of Sora's driveway, leaving the spiky haired youth open to assault, did the blonde girl charge out of the doorway, pouncing on poor Sora.  Yep, Rikku's Sora-sensor was a new and frightening edition to the already sharp girl.  Paine smirked as she walked over, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the disgruntled boy.  

            "Didn't go as expected, huh?"  Why was it that Paine seemed to have absolutely no trouble at all reading Sora?  He made a mental note to practice a poker face... or _something_.

            "It wasn't just _that_!  **Riku** was the one practically flirting with **me**!"  Sora groaned and dropped his backpack onto the concrete beneath him, raking a hand through his messy hair halfheartedly.

            "Umm... Isn't that a good thing?" Rikku asked, cocking her head to the side inquisitively.

            "But it's not fair... Riku didn't seem nervous at all while I totally froze up," Sora scowled at Paine's soft cough, not having forgotten her earlier advice. "_And on top of that, it wasn't anything more then flirting.  He just __flirted.  A lot."  Sora still hadn't been able to figure out what exactly Riku had planned, but the older boy was blatantly flirting, there was no other word for it.  Rikku blinked back owlishly at Sora._

            "What'd you expect?"

            "I... I don't know!  I don't even know what I really _want."_

            Rikku grinned, turning back to look at her girlfriend.  "Hey, Dr. P!  What's your analysis?"

            Paine smirked, and walked forward, ruffling Sora's hair and laughing.  "The hardest person to know is yourself, Sora."

            _It figures she'd say something like that.  "Well then why does no one __else seem to have a problem?"  Sora pouted, following both girls who were walking into the backyard, picking up his backpack along the way.  Already the sun was rather low in the sky and the entire horizon burned brilliantly, red and orange streaks cutting into the cool sky.  But no sign of stars yet... Sora was briefly reminded of his 'more then just a little weird' dream, though he shook his head, putting the thoughts out of his mind and attempting to concentrate on Paine's response as the older girl opened her mouth._

            "We've all got that problem Sora.  No one has time to just sit and think anymore.  No time to sit and figure yourself out, so you're not alone when it comes to not knowing yourself.  I bet most people today will die not knowing half of who they are.  But we can always try and do better then that."  

            Rikku beamed and hugged Paine gleefully as the three reached the intersection of Sora and Paine's backyards, two practice flags already laid out on the ground.  "Dr. P wins again!  You should write a self-help book!"  

            Paine chuckled as Rikku bounced off to scoop up one of the flags, tossing the other one to Sora.  He didn't need either Paine or Rikku to remind him why it was so important that he practiced.  Tryouts were Monday, as well as Riku's birthday...  And it didn't take a genius to figure out that Sora would probably need a lot of luck and skill to make it onto the guard with Quistis as part of the selection committee.  As small as the color guard was, he knew that one slip up would be enough for Quistis to hold against him, keeping him off the color guard.  Surprisingly, it wasn't just Riku's promise of making it worth his while that was driving Sora to do well at tryouts.  It was the fact that Quistis was going to try and stop him that made it all the more fun.

            Monday seemed both very near and very far away at the same time as Rikku and Sora began warming up and running through the routine time and time again, well into the night.  Paine sat on her same old chair, notebook open on her lap, porch lamp lit, and pen in hand, though she spent most of her time trying to reassure Sora that yes, the move he was doing _was being done correctly.  _

            "Don't worry, Sora, it's fine."

            "Sora!  You're _fine, it's good!"_

            "Yes, Sora!  You're doing it right, already!"

            "Sora.  Go to bed.  Please."

......................................

           Wow, I'm almost at fifty pages with this fic.  *sniff*  It's the most I've ever written...  This chapter seems a little odd, but note the title.  It _is _totally symbolic and will be completely necessary to the fragile little plot line I've got going!  As it is, I had to go outside and practice guard in order to get inspiration for the upcoming chapters.  Keep reading, because it only goes uphill from here!  Thanks for the reviews, everybody!  Oh yes, and the quick splash of music is '500 Miles' by The Proclaimers.  Ah, the days when geeks were rock stars...  And remember those grapes.  They'll be important later on... Ehehe.

            Preview for the next chapter:  The long awaited tryouts as well as Riku's birthday!  Of course Sora will make the guard!... Right?

~Ori


	7. Stay Loose

Finally!  Chapter seven!  Why is this significant?  Because once this chapter is finally over and done with, the beginning part of the story will be complete, and I can happily jump right into the middle of things without having to worry about losing you all too much.  So enjoy the color guard tryouts and Riku's _very_ happy birthday!

................................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Seven**

'Stay Loose'

            "Sora, you've got to be kidding me..." Paine looked up at her friend through exhausted crimson eyes, wanting nothing more then for the boy to call it a night already and just turn in.  They'd been out there since six thirty in the morning that Sunday, spinning flags over and over and over... Paine wouldn't be surprised if both of them could make it through the routine in their sleep... Sleep.  Ugh.  What she wouldn't give for sleep.

            "No, Paine, _please_!  I just need to do it a couple more times and I'll be ready, I promise!  Really!"  

            "You've been saying that for the past three hours.  It's almost one in the morning.  If you don't go to sleep now, you'll sleep through tryouts and then where will you be?"

            "...Sleeping?"

            "Bed, Sora.  Now." 

            With that tone of voice, Sora knew he'd stand no chance arguing against Paine.  Mumbling good night to the older girl, Sora trudged across the backyard separating his house from Paine's, silently slipping through the back door.  Thankfully, his eyes had long ago adjusted to all the darkness, and the boy didn't need any light to see by as he leaned his practice flag against the wall before finding his way upstairs and flopping over onto his bed, suddenly feeling completely and entirely drained.  The prospect of getting five meager hours of sleep might not have seemed like much to anyone else, but Sora's last thoughts before he drifted off were how wonderful it would be to sleep so long...

            '_And it looks like another be-autiful day for __Destiny__Islands__!  Temperature hanging around a pleasant seventy two degrees this morning, possibly rising up into the upper seventies by mid-afternoon.  Now back to Nora for today's traff--'_

"Mmf... shuddup..."  Sora whacked his alarm clock halfheartedly, rolling over in his bed and burrowing deeper into the numerous blankets and pillows surrounding him.  Okay, so five hours really didn't seem to drag out quite like Sora had wanted.  _Great, another Monday.  _Monday... Monday, Monday, Monday... What happens Monday?  __

            "Oh, _shit."  Sora scrambled out of bed, remembering both Riku's birthday as well as the color guard tryouts that afternoon.  Flying into the bathroom, he took a record three minute shower before rocketing back into his bedroom, sifting through his closet for clothing.  After the entire Riku incident being explained to Rikku the day before, she had just giggled and told Sora to keep the clothes and wear them on his very first date with Riku (which had caused Sora to blush considerably) since she obviously had way too many clothes to begin with.  As much as Sora would have liked to wear the 'interesting' attire, he figured he'd probably be better off... well, not.  So instead he dragged out a pair of dark blue shorts and black t-shirt, shrugging the shirt over his head as he already began walking towards the bedroom door.  Sora did however, decide to wear the silver crown necklace, smiling as he slipped it around his neck.  _So the important thing again, don't freeze.  Don't freeze.  Don't freeze... This didn't work too well the last time I tried it...  __

            Hopping down the steps, Sora nearly slammed into his mother who was shuffling about the house in her slippers, murmuring to herself.  Slightly caught off guard by this strange behavior, Sora figured he'd be a decent son and ask what was wrong.  It wasn't until Bryna started answering that Sora decided never to ask his mother what was wrong.  Ever again.

            "Oh, Sora, honey!  I was going to tell you last night, but you were out practicing so much and everything... Did I tell you that I used to have a friend on the color guard?  She was such a sweet girl..."

            "Mom, what were you going to tell me last night?"

            "Oh, right!  Well I was going to tell you but you were so busy and everything and I was just so jumpy, not to mention that I figured you probably didn't really want to hear about it, what with all the _crazy things going on for you at the moment, so--"_

            "Mom, off topic."

            "Well, yes, but this is--"

            "Mom."

            "Okay!  Okay, okay..." Bryna sighed before giving her son a hopeful smile.  "Well, I was hoping to tell you maybe... later, but since you asked.  I'm going out on a date this afternoon, Sora, so I probably won't be back by the time you're out of school, and before you even start, yes I _know_ you're probably not going to be happy with it, but I've read all these books and I've asked everyone I know what they think I should do, and they all told me this was the right thing to do.  It's just a date, Sweetie..."  Bryna's words came out rushed and hurried as though she were frantically trying as fast as she could to put a band-aid over whatever damage she'd dealt out to her son.

            Quistis was probably go to sabotage his tryouts, Riku would be expecting him to make it onto the guard as well as spend the afternoon with him at his house for Riku's birthday (making it not such a big deal that Bryna wouldn't be home for Sora), and now Bryna had a date.  It wouldn't be such a big deal if she was just going to be out with her friends or something, but a date?  What was wrong with the way things were?  Was Sora's mother getting tired of having to take care of him all by herself?  Coming to the conclusion that he was being rather paranoid, Sora blinked several times to clear his head.  But still, that didn't erase what his mother had just said.

            "You asked everybody?" Sora asked her quietly, not meeting his mother's eyes.

            "Yes, Sora, they all think that--"

            "Well did you ever ask _me_?" Sora scowled, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout.  Not giving Bryna the chance to answer or consolidate her son, he brushed past her, out the front door.  It was still a little early for him to already be walking to school, and his stomach complained loudly from the lack of breakfast, but Sora was in no mood for walking back into his house any time soon.  

            The sun just beginning to rise over the tops of the palm trees, Sora kicked the sidewalk furiously as he trudged slowly down the street.  

            "What the hell?" Sora hissed to himself, continuing his walk.

            "Augh, what the hell is _wrong_ with everything?!" Sora yelled, tugging at fistfuls of his spiky hair.

            "Hey, Sora.  Maybe you just need to loosen up."  

            Turning around in surprise at the sound of the voice, Sora's eyes came to rest on the silver haired boy approaching him.  What was Riku doing there?  What's more, even if he _did_ have a reason to go to school early, why not just drive his car?  Sora's questions were quickly answered as though Riku had read his thoughts in those few brief seconds of time.

            "I figured I'd walk with you to school, but when I got to your house five minutes ago, your mom said you'd left already.  She seemed pretty worried... You okay, Sora?"  Riku seemed genuinely concerned, which only turned out to make Sora feel guilty about running out on Bryna like that.  The least he could've done was heard his own mother out.  

            "I dunno."  

            "You sound so convincing, too."  Riku smiled as he walked up next to Sora, neither of them in that much of a rush since school wouldn't be starting for another forty-five minutes.  "Hey, don't I even get a 'happy birthday, Riku?'  You're so uptight today, Sora!"

            Sora scrounged up the best smile he could for his friend, though it really wasn't much compared to his standard brilliant grins of real happiness.  The two walked next to each other in silence for a while, eventually coming to a point where the beach was clear in view, not a soul outside, since most people were still indoors getting ready to start the day.  

            "My mom's got a date this afternoon," Sora said, trying to make it sound like he really didn't care all that much.  He certainly didn't like the weird stinging feeling it left him with, like his mom needed someone else in her life besides Sora.  He'd been perfectly happy with just her, why couldn't _she be the same way?  All the father-son picnics or activities Sora missed out on when he was little, he never complained about.  Bryna was being selfish, needing another person in her life other then Sora... At least, that's what Sora told himself.  Though inwardly, he knew it really wasn't true, no matter how much he wished it was._

            "Your mom's a cool person... Don't you think she deserves to have a husband, or at least a boyfriend?" Riku asked gently.  That alone seemed out of character for the usual teasing nature of most of the conversations between Sora and Riku.

            "What's wrong with just having me?"

            Riku seemed to think about this a moment, stopping their slow and steady journey towards the school building to stand by the side of the road, looking out at the shore.  When he finally spoke, the old Riku was back, smirking down at Sora.  "Hey, nothing wrong with that.  Hell, I wouldn't mind just having you."  He tugged a strand of Sora's spikes playfully, laughing.  "But... when you go to college, your mom's gonna be all alone.  Besides... You saying your mom couldn't date just because she's your mom and you don't want to share her, that'd be like... Kairi saying you couldn't go out with m-- With... Mmm..._Melissa _because you were Kairi's friend and _she didn't want to share _you_."  Riku pretended as if nothing was out of the ordinary with what he'd just said, laughing good-naturedly and turning away from the shore, headed again towards the high school._

            Sora blinked at the beach a moment before jogging to catch up with his friend.  "Oh... Hey, Riku?  Who's Melissa?"

~~~~~~~

            The day seemed to flash by, Sora not being able to tell whether he was looking forward to that afternoon or dreading it.  Color guard tryouts were definitely mind-wracking, and throughout each and every one of his classes, the poor boy struggled to even focus on the words in his textbook, mentally trying to go over what the routine was for tryouts.  At the same time, he was rather looking forward to spending the afternoon with Riku, just palling around like they always did.  

            Lunch had Sora's nerves on end, the boy unable to escape the looks of triumph Quistis kept shooting him, noting the obvious worry on his face.  Despite numerous attempts from both Paine and Rikku, Sora just wouldn't loosen up.  Every time he tried to run the routine by one of the girls verbally, listing the moves he had to do, he was drumming his fingers against the table, stuttering, trying as hard as possible to get it absolutely perfect.  Finally, when Kairi and Selphie were becoming nervous just from being around Sora, Riku showed up and nearly gaped at his friend's poor state.  He'd never thought that Sora would take color guard _that_ seriously.  

            "Riku, you _have to do something about the neurotic boy wonder, over there."  Rikku narrowed her eyes at the silver haired boy, tapping her sneaker clad foot against the cafeteria floor irritably.  "I've never seen _anyone_ more totally jittery in my entire life!  What's he living off of, coffee beans?"  Riku wouldn't really be all that surprised if that were the case.  Sora had seemed awfully tired lately, especially with the way he'd just fallen asleep at Riku's house having just seen his favorite disturbing and freaky episode of the Twilight Zone.  Normally, the younger boy would've stayed up for hours afterwards, probably waiting to make sure no killer dolls were going to sneak into the room while he was slumbering peacefully away.  _

            Sora sat at his usual table, surrounded by the usual people... only he was sipping a long-empty soda can and wracking his knuckles against the leg of the table, obviously deep in thought.  He didn't notice as Riku cleared his throat behind him, too busy reciting the color guard moves over and over again inside his head.  _Around the world, into eight counts of drop-spins, eight counts of double time, followed by an overhead  pass, moving into... ...Into..._  After several moments of staring at the wreckage which was now Sora, Riku finally rolled his eyes and dragged the boy away from the table.

            "Come on, Sora, you need some fresh air."

            "But the routine--"

            "Will come back to you as soon as you need to run through it."  Riku led Sora out of one of the many doors of the high school, into the small courtyard area tucked between two wings of the large building.  Not many students were out there, most of them preferring to eat inside the cafeteria.  The several students who were out there were mostly couples, talking quietly with each other, holding hands, and generally violating all and any other 'public display of affection' rules the school had intact, which wasn't really much.  Small island high schools were never really known for any truly heinous crimes, gangs, or assault of any kind, so the order the school held around its students was rather slack.

            Gently but firmly pulling Sora down to sit next to him on one of the unoccupied benches in the courtyard, Riku kept a firm grasp on Sora's wrist as though the younger boy were about ready to bolt at any second and explode in a fiery shower of nervousness.  Which wouldn't exactly be a _good_ thing.

            "Okay, Sora.  First of all, _breathe."  Riku thought it was necessary to remind Sora of this, since he'd been sipping from an empty soda can earlier, after all, and the next step may very well have been for Sora to just simply forget to breathe.  Once that was said, Riku continued, slackening his hold on Sora's wrist and sliding his hand down to cover Sora's.  "Second of all, I don't see why you're so worried.  You're doing great at guard, Paine's told you a million times!  Just because you can't memorize the name and order of all the moves doesn't mean you can't do the routine, right?"_

            "But what if I don't make it?"

            "It's all right if you don't make it."

            Sora pouted, turning to look at Riku.  "But what about what you said?!"

            "What I..."  Riku paused, remembering his words he'd whispered to Sora all those weeks ago.  "Ohh!  Isthat making you nervous, Sora?"  Riku chuckled, trying to keep himself from breaking into all out laughter.  Poor, poor Sora.  "Don't worry about _that_, Sora.  Just do what you've been doing and you'll be fine.  Even Quistis won't be able to keep you from being on the guard."

            Sora smiled, already feeling more reassured about everything then he had been in quite some time.  "You really think so?"

            "Come on, Sora.  You trust me, right?"

            "Yep.  Always."

            The bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang, Riku standing up and Sora following suit.  Turning to look back at his younger friend, Riku grinned.  "Then don't worry about it.  You're always so happy and carefree... Just stay that way.  Stay loose."

~~~~~~~

            "Hey, Sora!"  Yuffie pranced over to the younger boy, already having his practice flag at the ready and handing it over to him perkily.  "You ready?"

            Sora smiled weakly, thanking Yuffie as he twirled the flag several times, just to try and, well, loosen up again.  Having kept Riku's words in his mind all day after lunch, Sora had recovered a good deal from the nervous wreck he'd been during lunch and was now almost fully back to normal.  Once tryouts were over and he was back at Riku's house, having a good time like they always did, then everything was sure to fall back into place, regardless of the outcome of tryouts... at least, Sora had been telling himself that all day, so surely it had to be true.

            Paine and Rikku appeared next, Selphie and Kairi not long after as well as the rest of the guard.  None of the older girls showed any sign of being nervous at all, joking and laughing as though it were any other practice.  Selphie and Kairi weren't quite as out of it as Sora was, and eventually joined in along with the older girls, all of them waiting for Quistis and Cid to show up so that tryouts could get started.  

            Rikku preoccupied in a rock-paper-scissors showdown with Yuffie, Paine walked over to Sora, smirking and crossing her arms.  "Still just a bundle of nerves, huh?"

            "Hey, I'm trying!  You have to give me _some credit," Sora mumbled, scuffing the sole of his shoe against the rough surface of the blacktop._

            "Don't worry, Sora.  You make the guard, you'll be the first one on the island's history.  There's some credit for you," Paine said grinning.  "But seriously, you know how tryouts work and all, right?"

            "Oh, yeah... no."  Sora blinked numbly up at Paine, the back of his mind wandering completely off topic and wondering whether or not Riku would show up.  Sora hoped so.  He really, _really hoped so._

            "The captain and band director, Quistis and Cid, are the only ones who'll be judging.  Cid's judgment usually overrides the captain's, so there's definitely some hope for you there, even if Quistis does decide to try and screw you over.  But he does take everything the captain says pretty seriously, so it's still a little risky.  If you drop the flag, don't flinch or even let on that you made a mistake.  Just hold still until you can jump back in the routine along with everyone else.  We all drop the flag sometimes, it's really normal for first-year guard members too.  Also, if you forget what you're doing or fall behind, don't try and catch up.  Again, just hold still and get back in the routine when you feel you can.  It's really nothing to worry so much over."  

            No sooner had Paine drawn her walkthrough of the tryouts to a close did the door to the school bang shut, Cid and Quistis appearing on the blacktop.  As the band director and color guard captain drew closer, Sora gulped as Quistis shot him a wicked grin, causing him to tighten his grip on the pole of the flag in his hand.  This was not good... This was _very not good.  Just as Sora felt he was about to fall back into his earlier frenzied state, he noticed Riku leaning up against the chain link fence of the blacktop, waving at Sora as he noticed him looking.  Riku grinned and nodded at Sora, radiating with the confidence he had in the younger boy.  It almost made Sora want to crumble to pieces right there... How could Riku have so much faith in him?_

            "Alright, everybody!  I've got a list of name here, so at the end I'll be calling out the names of those who made the guard, in no specific order, thank you.  I was never any good at spelling...  Anyway!  Let's get this show on the road!" Cid nodded to Quistis, who walked up in front of the assembly of girls (and Sora) who had formed a two-by-five rectangle, all set and ready to go.  

            Quistis' last look at him said, "Try all you want, little boy, but you'll never make it here," while the last glimpse Sora got of Riku was just a smile and a nod.  Sora was probably as ready as he would ever be as Quistis barked out the beginning counts.

            "Five, six, seven, eight!"

            And they launched off into the routine, flags moving roughly as one body, though not absolutely perfect.  No two week practice, no matter how rigorous, could wrap nine people together so tightly that each and every one of them would stay in sync with the others one hundred percent of the time, but for a two week practice session having been what led them all together, the guard was really showing potential.  Cid remained passive and kept an expressionless face on as he walked slowly around the flag-spinning mass, but couldn't help but pause as he came to Sora.  He hadn't _really_ thought the kid was actually serious about trying out for the color guard!  Yet at the same time, the director had to remind himself to remain passive and keep the grin off his face.  Huh, pretty brave kid.

            Sora couldn't tell whether he wanted the earth to open up and just swallow him right there, or if he wanted to fly up into the air, yelling in triumph, "Hah!  I'm not messing up!  Not!  Messing!  Up!  Take _that_, Quistis!" Riku had been right when he'd said it would all just come back to him.  It was as though Sora's muscles had been so trained in running through the drill that whatever his brain's instructions may have been, they were completely overruled by the route memorization of his muscles.  ...Though the thought in itself was somewhat unnerving.  

            Hearing a flag hit the ground somewhere to the left of him, Sora was about ready to wince before he caught himself and smothered the emotion.  If the noise was somewhere to the left, it may have been Selphie.  But the girl had no reason to worry about one little mistake like that.  Everyone agreed that Selphie's bubbly personality and happy nature would get her anywhere, and even Quistis couldn't hold a grudge against the sophomore girl.  

            Before he knew it, Sora found himself rapidly approaching the finishing move, trying as calmly as possible to run through Paine's advice to him as far as the last move was concerned.  _Bring the flag closer... Sora's arms pulled the spinning flag slightly closer to his body, though still wary of getting it __too close.  _And... Uh oh.  What was the thing I always forgot?_  Trying not to panic, Sora, as well as the rest of the color guard around him, spun the flag once to the left of his body, once to the right, turned, reversing the spin of the flag, bringing the end to land gently on the ground and-- The girls brought their left hand up and out as Sora blinked stupidly.  _Shit._  _

            Every voice in his head chimed in at once, yelling at him to put his damn left hand in the air along with everyone else, but he kept it glued to his side.  No point in making his stupid mistake more obvious then it already was.  But Sora couldn't help but cast a small glance over in Cid's direction, only to find the band director looking right at him.  _Oh no!  He noticed!   Crap!_  But surely just one little mistake like that wasn't enough to keep him from making it on the guard, that'd just be stupid.  He'd done everything else _right, for Pete's sake!  But another cautious glance in Quistis' direction was enough to tell Sora that she'd caught the mistake too and was hell-bent on using it against him for all it was worth._

            "All right, great job, great job!  Relax and just give us five minutes here, gir-- everybody!" Cid announced as he walked over towards Quistis, clipboard in hand.  The two of them immediately jumped into talking, though all of it was exchanged in such quiet voices that Sora couldn't even hope to find out what it was they were saying.  Part of him felt that it was probably a good thing.

            "Sora!  Great job!"  Sora snapped out of him dazed stupor as he felt Riku embrace him in a warm hug.  As much as Sora felt like melting into the older boy and staying there forever, he was now more jittery then before, the minutes until Cid and Quistis announced the guard members seeming to drag out forever.

            "Great job?  Great _job?  I forgot the hand... flingy... thing..." Sora rambled in protest._

            Riku rolled his eyes, playfully shoving Sora.  "Aw, come on, it's one stupid little thing!  The rest of it was great!"  Sora smiled, trying to convince himself of that.  _Riku is right, Riku is always right, trust Riku, Riku is always totally right._

            Paine and Rikku appeared several moments later, both of the older girls sharing the same opinion as Riku and all three of them trying to assure Sora that everything was still perfectly fine.  Even Selphie didn't seem to worry about her own little mess up, having followed the older girls' instructions and waited to jump back into the routine after having retrieved her dropped flag.  As Cid nodded to Quistis several minutes later, he turned to face the handful of girls, some of them sitting on the ground, others, like Sora and company, standing and waiting.  

            Cid scanned over the group of students in front of him, nodding slowly.  Much to Sora's surprise, the band director then burst into a grin.  "Okay, everyone, see y'all at practice!"

            Sora's eyes widened and he couldn't keep himself from blurting out, "You mean we all made it?"

            Cid blinked at the boy and laughed.  "Haha!  'Course everyone made it!  Hell, havin' had only two weeks practice before now, it's pretty good what you guys can do.  Welcome on the guard, Sora!"

            Sora hit the ground with a thud, not even realizing he'd just sat down suddenly.  Rikku was squealing and hopping up and down delightedly, Paine grinning down at him, the rest of the guard clapping and cheering as well.  Then he felt Riku slide his arms around his waist, pulling the younger boy back up and spinning him around, laughing happily.

            "You did it, Sora!  Haha!  You did it!"

            Sora grinned, wrapping his arms around Riku's neck and hugging the silver haired boy.  He'd actually done it!  _Haha_!  Take **that**, Quistis!_  The laughter and excitement continued for some time afterwards, the guard joking around and making eager plans as to what to do in the way of get-togethers, practices, and everything else they could possibly come up with.  Quistis didn't look at Sora throughout the half-hour everyone spent on the blacktop after tryouts.  Sora didn't need any eye contact to see Quistis' frustration.  And for the first time in what seemed like ages, Sora was relaxed, happy, and just plain satisfied._

            When the guard members finally decided to call it quits, giving each other one last wave of congratulations, they all split up to head home.  Sora had calmed down a bit since the initial shock of finding out that he'd made the guard and was now simply reveling in being able to spend the rest of his perfect afternoon with Riku.  As much as he was practically falling over himself to get to Riku's promised award, Sora decided to act like he expected nothing.  It was, after all, Riku's birthday, so Sora decided it was up to Riku to call the shots.  At least for that day.  

            Hopping out of Riku's car once they'd reached the boy's house, Sora took notice of the fact that once again, Riku's parents weren't home.  The boy pouted slightly at this, thinking that the least his parents could do was make it home for their son's birthday.  Couldn't business trips wait?  But Riku didn't seem too put off by his parents' absence.  If anything, Riku was just impatient and aggravated during the rare occasions when his parents actually _were_ home, usually spending most of his time at Sora's house then.  No, Riku was definitely grinning as he locked the door to his car and walked up to the front door with Sora.

            "So, what'd ya get for your birthday, Riku?" Sora asked, pulling his shoes off as he stepped through the front door.  

            "Oh!  That's right, I didn't tell you!  You know what a Stradivarius is?"

            Well _that was definitely a new word.  "Erm, noooo?"_

            Riku led Sora upstairs to his room, pointing over at his trumpet case, which was carefully tucked away under his desk.  Raising an eyebrow at his friend, Sora gently pulled the trumpet case out, unzipping it and opening it up, blue eyes widening as he looked inside.  In place of Riku's old gold-colored trumpet was a beautiful gleaming silver one, merrily reflecting Sora's astonished expression on its glistening surface.  Sora was just plain gawking, there was no other word for it.

            "_Wow."_

            "_That's a Stradivarius, or a Strad for short.  They're really well-crafted trumpets and not everybody has 'em.  I've always wanted one..."  Riku smiled, running his fingertips over the keys caringly.  Sora giggled, still admiring the beautiful instrument.  It's beauty however, couldn't keep him from making a joke.  _

            "A Strad huh?  Like... straddle?  Wow, Riku, your parents buy you some kinky toys for your birthday!  You're so lucky!" Sora exclaimed, bursting into a fit of laughter as Riku mock-glared, pelting his younger friend with a nearby pillow.

            "Augh!  _Sora!  It's _not_ a sex toy!  Jeeze!"_

            "Kidding!  Kidding!  Spare me!" Sora pleaded, cowering from a pillow onslaught.

             Sora suddenly found himself being pulled to his feet, Riku having zipped up the Strad's case, tucking it back under his desk.  

            "Come on, let's go get some food.  I'm starving."

            As Sora fished out two bowls and a set of spoons, Riku rummaged around in the kitchen's freezer, finally pulling out some ice cream.  Setting the container down on the counter, Riku took one last look in the freezer and closed the door, turning around to start scooping out ice cream.  Sora peered at the label on the container, cocking his head to the side.

            Riku blinked down at his friend.  "I thought rum raisin was your favorite?"  

            Sora nodded his head, smiling brightly.  "It is.  I mean, the artificially flavored rum ice cream part is_ really_ good."  Sora paused as Riku snickered softly, the older boy dipping his spoon into his bowl.

            "But you don't like raisins?" Riku asked.  Now that he thought about it, he did realize that Sora never ate raisins.  Grapes, yes, but not raisins.  He'd never seen Sora touch a raisin in all the long years he'd known the boy.  
            "No, not really."  Sora paused a moment, seeming to think before he continued.  Rather then just eating everything like Riku was doing, Sora carefully pried the raisins free of the ice cream, shoving them off away from it.  "I mean... When you think about it, aren't raisins really just humiliated grapes?  They used to be these great, big, sweet and juicy grapes... But... Now they're all shriveled and just look so... lifeless.  It's like everything that used to make them full and happy was just taken away from them."

            Riku blinked, his spoon of rum raisin ice cream still only halfway to his mouth.  Looking down at the raisins nestled in the ice cream, Riku winced, placing the spoon back in the bowl and nudging the raisins out of the ice cream.  "Wow.  Never thought about it like that, Sora."

            Sora sighed sadly.  "Yeah, it's a shame about raisins."

            "Yeah."

            The two boys exchanged glances after several moments of silence before bursting into laughter.  Both Sora and Riku set their bowls on the counter, slumping to the kitchen floor in laughter.  Sora, mainly because after all the stress he'd dealt with that day, he just needed to be happy and laugh so hard he felt his lungs would break, while Riku laughed merely because Sora was laughing and it is simply a cold, hard fact of nature that laughing is contagious.  

..............................................

            Well this was one heck of a long chapter to write.  o_O  Yes, yes, I know.  Riku and Sora need to at least kiss already.  The next chapter!  _That will be your chapter, I promise!  Now, the important thing to make note of is that the grapes/raisins symbolism is derived from the grapes/raisins symbolism used in the old movie 'Benny and Joon.'  Love that movie.  Expect more movie-hintage throughout the rest of this fic, or at least one.  ^^;;  But now you can see that yes, grapes are starting to play a bigger role in this story.  As well as stars, Stradivarius, and... well, that's all I've gotten to.  XP  _

            Some of you will be pleased to know that now that the bulk of the beginning chunk of the story is done, I'll be spending the next chapter on _fun.  We're talking slurpie shop, dirty dancing, and a boatload of Rikku-scheming fun.  Definitely something to look forward to writing on my part!  Though with school now resuming, I can't make any promises as to when the next update will be.  Friday at the very, _very_ latest, I'm guessing.  My art teacher is having me stay after Wednesdays and Thursdays for a month or so to work on some one-on-one extra-fun teaching project... thing.  If I hated art, I'd be complaining right about now.  Anyway, thanks once again for all your kind reviews.  ^____^  Much love to you all!  Oh yes, and the Stradivarius is the most freaking beautiful instrument I've ever seen.  How fitting that Riku should end up with one.  *grins*_

~Ori


	8. Take it Forward

**One for the Band - Chapter Eight**

'Take it Forward'

            Rikku came to the conclusion that something big was definitely about to take place.  And Rikku being Rikku, she naturally had to tell at least one person about her thoughts.  It just so happened that someone just had to be Paine, who naturally knew everything Rikku was about to say, everything Rikku had in mind, and had already come up with every possible reason as to why she just had to say--

            "No."

            "Paa-aaaine!" Rikku whined, clenching her firsts together and giving her girlfriend the best pleading look she could possibly muster up.  Honestly, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her plan!  "Look, I just _know they're totally gonna crack!  We just gotta push 'em _one more _time!"_

            Paine sighed in exasperation, leaning one elbow against the piano bench behind her.  Both girls sat on the floor of Paine's living room, open windows letting the late afternoon light in, washing the white walls in a brilliant orange color from the dying sun.  Ever sense Sora had returned from Riku's house, Rikku had been badgering Paine about 'taking more drastic action.'  From the older girl's past experiences with Rikku, her drastic actions had a crazy way of somehow never working.  This was the same girl who had raised a carnivorous plant for the science fair, determined to win first place.  Said plant was killed by a lethal dosage of weed killer after eating her neighbor's dog.  Yes, this was the _very same_ Rikku who had once convinced herself that if she could give socks genders, then a person could live with buying just one pair of socks in their entire life, leaving the pair in the bottom drawer of their wardrobe to reproduce like bunnies.  This was that Rikku, and there was no way Paine was willing to let her tamper in an already unstable relationship.

            "Rikku, it'd be different if you had their consent on this whole idea bu--"

            "Permission?  I can get permission!  You just leave it to me, Paine!"  With that, Rikku crawled over towards the phone on a nearby end table, fingers dancing across the number pad before cradling the receiver of the phone against her ear.  Before Paine had a chance to ask who the hell the blond was calling, Rikku hit the 'speaker phone' button just as the phone was picked up.

            "Hello?"

            "Riku!  Heya, how ya been?"  Paine groaned, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands in mock despair.  Well, only partially mocking.  It was highly likely that this plan would hit rock bottom anyway.  

            "...Fine?" Riku sounded ever so slightly puzzled and perhaps there was even a trace of disappointment in Riku's voice, though Paine wasn't going to jump to conclusions any time soon.  Rikku just grinned, giving Paine a thumbs up sign as she continued to chat away on the phone.

            "So listen, Riku, I had this great idea--"

            "Who is this again?"

            Rikku scowled at the phone, Paine's laughter probably being picked up by Riku on the other end of the line.  "It's _Rikku, you dummy."_

            "Oh, right then."

            "So anyway, about my idea!"  Rikku gleefully launched into her plans, completely forgetting about Riku's ridiculous lapse of memory.  Honestly, who _didn't_ know Rikku?  The sheer idea was stupidity in itself.  "You have the hots for Sora, right?"

            Possibly not the best way that could've been put... 

            Both Rikku and Paine could hear Riku's sudden intake of breath from over the speaker phone, the line going quiet for a moment before Riku finally responded.  "...Yes.  Though I don't really see wh--"

            "Okay!  And you're impatient with how things are going now, right?  I mean, come on, let's face it!  You **know you just want to snog the boy senseless, dontcha, Ri-ku?"  Again, Paine rolled her eyes at Rikku's less-then-graceful way of wording things.  **

            "Possibly..."

            "Here's my idea!  Friday night, Paine, Yunie, and I always head downtown to some of the clubs there.  It's no big deal, since there's places down there that don't even need an i.d. for you to get in!  It's totally easy, free, and all that good stuff.  So here's what I'm thinking...  There's this joint called Split Key, right?  They're having this sort of... well, it's like a masquerade, only way more loose!  Like one huge costume dance-fest and everyone's supposed to look totally different and everything!  Are you following me yet?"

            "No, not really."

            Rikku continued unabashedly.  "What I'm _saying is, how 'bout you just shakey-shake your way down to the Split Key Friday night, the girls and I'll bring Sora along with us and bada-bing, bada-boom!  You've got yourself a sex kitten in a gift-wrapped box!"  Paine blinked at Rikku, mouthing out, 'Your analogy sucks.'  Rikku stuck her tongue out jokingly, removing a pillow from the nearby couch and hurling it at the older girl.  "So whaddya say, Riku?  Come on, you knoooow you want to!  Can't you just see it now?  A hot, hot room, dark lights, loud music, you and Sor--oof!"  Riku, back at his house could hear laughter, as well as a slight scuffle for the phone, Rikku's voice eventually ringing clear through the phone yet again.  "Riku, you still there, right?"  Whatever joking skirmish had ensued had quickly ended, as Rikku was then comfortably sitting on a rather peeved looking Paine._

            "Oh, get _off, Rikku, I can't __breathe!"_

            "Are you saying I have a fat butt?!"

            "I didn't say that!"  
            "Yes you did!  Just for that, I'm _not moving!  Hah!  You know you like it, Paine!  Hehehehe-- ow.  Okay, moving then."  Several seconds later, Riku figured he'd had enough time to think Rikku's idea over.  Even though he too remembered the famous science fair project from hell, brought into the world by Rikku herself, Riku thought that the girl might actually have stumbled upon a good idea here.  Riku would have to have been as dumb as a mud fence not to have noticed Sora's growing affections for him, though Sora seemed unable to notice Riku's own dropped hints.   And Rikku had just handed him the solution to his problem on a silver platter.  What did he have to lose?_

            "Huh.  You think you can pull it off, Rikku?"

            "You give me permission to give it a whirl?"

            "...Sure."

            "Then Sora will be like putty in your hands!  Hehe!  Just leave it to me, Riku!"

            The future figure of putty, Sora, was meanwhile waiting outside his own front door as he had been doing for the past twenty minutes.  Naturally, his house key was somewhere which obviously _wasn't in his backpack, leaving Sora to sit on the steps leading up to the front door, grudgingly awaiting the return of his mother.  It was getting dark already and she'd been gone since the afternoon, even before Sora had been let out of school.  What if her stupid date was some sort of con-artist/rapist/cereal killer?  Sora whined at the thought, biting his thumbnail anxiously.  Thankfully, he didn't have much longer to wait until an old brown car crept up into view, stopping in front of his house.  The car wasn't in bad shape, nor was it ugly, but it definitely wasn't anything like Riku's sparklingly wonderful little silver sport... thing.  Sora held it against his mother's date.  'Car not like Riku's' : minus 229 points.  _

            Bryna got out of the car after two minutes or so, Sora telling himself not to bother asking about the delay.  What did _he care if his mom was smooching away with some total stranger while Sora couldn't even get the guts to __tell Riku how he felt, much less __do something about it.  When Bryna finally did reach the front door, Sora took notice of her wide smile and glowing appearance.  Great, just great.  Apparently she even __liked the guy._

            "Hey, Honey!  Sorry that took so long... Did you forget your house key again?" Bryna asked, chuckling as she moved past him to open the front door, her own key in hand.  Sora picked up his backpack and flag, trailing in behind her, only to drop said backpack and flag back on the floor in a heap.

            "Yeah.  Silly little me."  Sora turned to head upstairs, not having much homework that night and looking forward to getting some much needed sleep.  The last thing he really wanted to do was hear about Bryna's oh-so-wonderful dating experience.  But that didn't stop the issue from springing up anyway.

            "Hey!  Don't you wanna know how it went, Sora?"  Bryna leaned against the stair railing, looking up at her son who was almost halfway up the stairs.  

            _Not really, no.  Not at all.  "Sure."  Sora sighed and leaned against the railing, looking back down at his mother._

            "Well, first we went to the zoo--"

            "Oh, honestly."  

            "What?!  Sora, need I remind you that you've never had a dating experience to base _mine on.  Perhaps it couldn't hurt to just listen to your old mother once in a while!"  Oops.  Parental mistake.  Bryna desperately wanted to take her words back as Sora blinked at his mother in surprise, before turning and continuing upstairs.  She couldn't __believe she'd just said that!  "Sora, wait, I--"_

            "That's okay, Mom, I'm just gonna go take a nap.  'Night."  Bryna heard her son's bedroom door closed softly, sighing and leaning back against the wall.  She had a feeling Sora probably wouldn't be coming downstairs anytime soon.

~~~~~~~

            Quistis gave the color guard the rest of the week off with a simple reminder to practice.  They would start practicing with the band the next week, and until then it looked as though Sora would have his first stress-free weekend in a very long time.  No longer having to worry about upcoming tryouts or what to get Riku for his birthday (despite the older boy's insisting that Sora's earlier forgiveness was enough, Sora told himself he'd find Riku a great present later), Sora walked out of school Friday afternoon, thinking he had not a care in the world.  After all, with nothing he had to get done, there was nothing he had to worry about.  He got about two blocks away from the school before he was proved quite wrong.

            With Riku, Tidus, and Wakka walking alongside him, Tidus and Wakka discussing none other then blitzball while Riku and Sora merely took sides or asking questions, Sora was surprised to find Paine's car pull up by the side of the road, though it definitely wasn't Paine in the driver's seat.

            "Hey, baaaaby!  Lookin' sexy!" the blond jeered, followed by a seductive purr.

            "Rikku!" Paine exclaimed, Yuna giggling from the back seat.

           "Hehehe!  Just kidding, Paine!  Hey, boys, we gotta kidnap Sora for a while, m'kay?  We promise not to molest him, even though he _is oh-so-totally molestable."  This caused an exasperated sigh from Paine and Yuna's laughter as Sora exchanged confused looks with Wakka and Tidus before looking over at Riku, who merely shrugged.  Rikku had actually discussed the entire string of events with him a million times over, trying to make sure that it would all play out just like clockwork.  The silver haired boy was finding it pretty difficult not to chuckle at poor Sora's confusion, or to ask Rikku and company what costume they planned on getting the boy.  He'd just have to wait and find out for himself._

            Rikku rolled her eyes, opening the front door as well as the back door and jogging towards the group of boys.  Wondering how long Riku would be able to hold his emotionless expression, Rikku probably figured it'd be best just to get Sora out of view as soon as possible.  Besides, when Rikku, Yuna, and Paine were in charge, costume selection was going to take a while.  Linking arms with the younger boy, who was still dazed and slightly confused, Rikku steered him towards the car, waving to the remaining three boys with her other hand.  "Sora'll talk to you all later!  This is _way_ important!"  And with that, she closed Sora in the backseat of the car, hopped back into the driver's seat, and drove off with one last wave at Riku, Tidus, and Wakka.

           Riku started laughing as soon as the car was out of sight, Tidus and Wakka completely in the dark on the entire issue.

            "Umm, Rikku?  Where are we going?" Sora asked, craning his neck around to try and see Rikku's face as he talked to her.  The entire Sora-abduction did seem a bit random, and he was hoping Riku wasn't too upset about the whole thing... He _had_ seemed jealous of Paine when Sora had first joined up with guard, though it looked like that side of his best friend had been resolved.

            "Well, we figured that since you _didn't_ go clubbing with us two weeks ago, this would be a golden opportunity for ya, right girls?  Think of it as a celebration for the guard getting its first guy member ever!  Like a little reward!"  Rikku giggled, turning left at a stop light and pulling out onto a long stretch of road.  

            "Yeah, but jeeze, where are we _going?  It's all the way on the other side of the island?"  Sora's eyes widened as they left the small residential area of the island, the little car speeding along the coast.  _

            "Nonono, not _that far.  This place is only like, twenty minutes away.  Heart of the island and all, totally the place to be Friday night.  We're gonna find you a costume at one of the shops down there and take you dancing, duh!  It's a costume night, so it's gonna be sooo much fun!"_

            "I've never been dancing like that before..."

            "Loud music, cool dancing with total strangers, and tonight no one'll be able to tell who's who!  That's what's so cool about it!  You might think you're dancing with the devil, but it could just be that sweet, innocent little girl from your geometry class, no one knows!"

            Sora's blinked, cocking his head to the side.  "Isn't that kinda weird, though?  How can you dance with someone you don't know?"  As an afterthought, Sora remembered that he hadn't even checked with Bryna to see if it was okay for him to go or not.  Granted, he still held a grudge against his mother for going on that date on Monday, what was worse being that she'd accepted another date from the same guy for Saturday evening, but he still felt that he needed to ask her permission first.  "Oh, and I should probably call my mom..."

            Rikku exchanged an unnoticeable look with Paine, grinning.  "Oh, don't worry about your mom, we already cleared it with her.  And it's just more fun dancing with strangers.  It's exciting!"

            Yuna took it upon herself to fill in the blanks as the car drove into a more thickly populated area of the island.  Though it was definitely no comparison to any mainland city, three and four story buildings being about as high as the ones there got, it was still a noticeable difference from the small homes which lay situated further down along the island. 

            "You're supposed to pick out a costume that doesn't fit you at all, like the opposite of your personality or something you'd never identify yourself with.  But a lot of people make up different categories, instead making their costume something that really _does reflect their personality, or something important to them, whichever you pick is up to you.  The flyer said it might be more fun if everyone going wore masks, sort of adding to the whole 'mystery identity' deal.  Umm... for example!  Rikku is dressing up as--"_

            "Tinkerbell!"

            "Yeah, Rikku's going as Tinkerbell, Pain's going as--"

            "The Queen of Spades!"

            "Rikku!  Let _me talk!"_

            "Sorry, Yunie!"

            "That's okay.  Anyway, I'm going as a genie.  Like, from a bottle.  We've all got masks we're wearing over out faces too, so you better remember what out costumes look like!"

            Sora looked around the car.  "Where are they?"

            As Rikku finally pulled up against the side of the road in a parking space, she grinned, unlocking the doors and turning off the engine.  "They're in the trunk!  We gotta go get _you _a costume now, silly!  Come on, let's go!"  The blond girl popped some quarters into the parking meter by the side of the road before leading the way to 'The Yensid Costume Emporium,' one of the many shops lining the side of the road.  

            Two and a half hours later, Sora made note never ever to go shopping with any female ever again.  Even Paine was finicky when it came to what Sora may or may not wear to the club, and after turning down three angel costumes, five devil outfits, two pixie ensembles, and eleven moogle selections, Sora still had no costume and didn't seem any step closer to finding one.  Rikku frowned at a long row of costumes, running her hand along the rack before randomly reaching in and pulling out a costume, looking at it, shaking her head and/or making a face, and putting it back.  She must've repeated the same process over and over again before turning to Yuna and Paine in exasperation.  

            "We could always make him a Buster Keaton look-a-like... I think I saw some top hats back in the miscellaneous section..."

            "Oh, how about a pirate?  He'd bake a pretty cute pirate, don't ya think?" Yuna asked, poking her head out of a pile of costume-selection books.  The store itself, though it appeared small from the outside, was practically warehouse-sized with rooms upon rooms of accessories alone, not to mention the aisles of costumes by category, costume-makeup, shoes, and wall of dressing rooms and mirrors, so Yuna had been leafing through books of costumes, though still coming up with a blank as to the perfect costume for Sora.

            "Ye-ah... I guess so... Rikku trailed off, leaning against a bin of miscellaneous head pieces, 50% off.  Brushing her hand against something velvety soft, Rikku raised an eyebrow and looked down into the bin.  Crammed in amongst the mounds of reindeer antlers, Santa hats, top hats, wizard hats, and multiple other head pieces, appeared to be a lone... bunny ear?  Shoving the other pieces aside, Rikku tugged a large and adorable pair of bunny ears out from the bin, one of them slightly bent at a cute angle from having been stuck in the bin so long.  Green eyes twinkling, Rikku turned to Sora, running her fingers along the soft ears.  "I think I've got an idea..."

~~~~~~~

            "No.  Way.  You can't possibly think you're going to make me wear **this."  **

            Sora wasn't even sure what exactly he was supposed to be.  The first two words that came to his mind were probably the best ones used to describe his state of dress.  Punk.  Bunny.  With black leather pants, complete with numerous silver belts, buckles, and zippers adorning them in random places, a small black and white zigzagged shirt, as well as a long pair of black arm sleeves, stretching from his hands to his elbows, Sora looked like some sort of escape convict from juvie.  The fact that Rikku decided to cut a crude pair of thumbholes into the sleeves didn't help make the whole outfit much more Sora-isque either.  And adding on the large cottontail Rikku had pinned to the back of the pants as well as the misshapen bunny ears, Sora no longer looked like anything remotely sane.  The finishing touches were those of a thin white bunny mask, which somehow managed to have black eyeliner surrounding the eyeholes, probably intended for female usage, as well as a large broken pocket-watch found in another sale bin of the store.

            "Well, I've gotta hand it to you, Rikku, that is by far the most original outfit I've seen yet."  Paine could hardly stifle her laughter as Sora glared at her from behind the bunny-mask, wordlessly promising revenge later on.  Rikku grinned, mentally patting herself on the back for a job well done.  The entire ordeal had taken up most of their free time before the club doors opened, but that wasn't a big concern.  All they had to worry about was getting a quick bite to eat before it was dark and the Split Key opened up and they were all set.  Besides, there was no way Sora could get out of wearing the costume now.  The girls had gone to pay for it while he was preoccupied trying to get all the clothes on in the first place.  So now, Sora found himself stuck in a modern day rabbit from Wonderland outfit, soon to be shoved into an undoubtedly awkward social situation.  Oddly enough, Sora didn't seem to mind it all that much.  

            Paine, Rikku, and Yuna changed into their costumes soon after, all of them sporting ornate and color-coordinated masks to cover their faces, before the group headed outside.  

            "Uhh, couldn't we have gotten dressed a little later?  People are staring..."  Sora blinked, slowly taking off his mask.  He could at least save the mask until he _had_ to wear it...  The girl's followed suit, taking off their masks before walking over to an open-air restaurant, each of them getting a slurpie and slurping to their heart's content.  By the time the sun had completely vanished, Sora had just reached the bottom of his icy drink and tossed the cup into the trash can as he followed the girls further down the street, pausing by the car to refill the parking meter.

            The Split Key sat at the intersection of the two main roads of the island, making it a fairly significant hot-spot for the island's younger generation.  Sand-colored bricks made up the building's exterior, much like that of all the other buildings around it, though someone had made a neon sign at one point showing a glistening key sliced into two separate parts, acting as a sign for the club since there was no other writing.  As the stars began to appear in the sky, the doors of the large building swung open, a large group of people already started to empty off the streets and into the shelter of the Split Key, Sora and company not far behind.  

            With a delighted squeal, Rikku took in all the costumes around her before lowering her silver glittered mask back over her face along with the rest of the girls, Sora taking one extra moment to just look.  Jesters, elves, pirates, pixies, devils, angels, demons, rock stars, clowns, nymphs, but happily there was not another punk-ish bunny from hell in sight, causing Sora to grin before he lowered the feminine mask over his face.  The white mask curved down over only half of his face, leaving his mouth open for everyone to see, much like the incomplete masks of most other people around him.  As their group approached the entrance, Sora received several grins and smiles at his costume, though no one really knew what he was supposed to be.

            Though from the outside, the Spare Key looked plain, the inside was a completely different story.  Long tubes of lights stretched from wall to wall, strobe lights positioned up front where the DJ was stationed, surrounded by simple open space, no doubt soon to be filled with hordes of people dancing.  Several stairs led down to a slightly tucked away corner, where pillows and couches were set up as well as doors to the bathrooms and drinking fountains, all of the furniture black or pretty much close to it in color.  The inside walls had been painted a bright red, though it was dulled considerably by the lack of lights, making it not quite as intense.

            As much as Sora would've like to have stared all day, Rikku and Yuna dragged him through the doorway, more people already pouring in behind him.

            "Okay, we promised your mom we wouldn't let you get hurt or anything, so you know what we look like!  Come find us if you need us, okay?  If all else goes wrong, go in the girls bathroom!  No one'll bother you there!" Rikku giggled, patting Sora's bunny ears.  "Love your costume, Sora!  Now let's go have some fun and do some mingling!"

            No sooner had Sora turned to follow the girls did he bump into someone else.

            "Oops, sorry!" Sora smiled apologetically up at the figure he'd walked in to, coming face to face with half a mask.  _The Phantom of the Opera?  The Phantom smiled down at him, his eyes looking deep green in the dark lights of the room.  _

            "Not a problem.  What are you supposed to be, Bunny?"

            "Umm... I don't really know."  Sora chuckled, sticking his hands in the pockets of his leather pants.  "See, I was sorta brought here by a bunch of friends who picked out my costume for me... I think I lost them though."  Looking around, Sora saw no sign of any of the girls, but tried not to worry too much about the whole thing.  They'd turn up eventually, and just as Rikku had said, if things got bad for whatever reason, he could just go wait in the girls' bathroom... Though Sora figured he'd try rather hard to avoid having to go in there.

            "So you're lost?"  The Phantom sounded _concerned even, which surprised Sora.  It didn't seem like a person portraying such a seemingly dark character would hold so much emotion for a total stranger.  Then again, Sora had never read the book, only heard rough plot outlines from his mother, who'd been a big fan of the play._

            Sora nodded slowly, grinning up at the Phantom.  "Yeah, I guess so!" Sora had to almost yell to be heard over the music which the DJ had just put on, pounding it out of the speakers and into the growing crowd which was already beginning to teem with movement.  

_"You do that, Romeo!_

_Be what you wanna be!_

_Looks like you're runnin' in place_

_Do that stupid dance for me!_

_Do that, Romeo,_

_That go, go Romeo_

_I see you twist and turn_

_You look so stupid, happy, and numb."_

            The Phantom leant down slightly so his mouth was up against Sora's ear so as he could be heard over the music without having to yell.  Sora couldn't help shake the feeling that this phantom somehow just _felt familiar somehow, though tried to shove the thought out of his mind as the Phantom spoke softly into his ear, his warm breath tickling Sora's neck.  "Dance with me?"_

_"Be my Romeo,_

_Please be my voice in this world_

_I can't sing the songs that you sing_

_I can't find the gorgeous words!_

_Will you be my Romeo?_

_My go, go Romeo_

_I see you twist and turn,_

_You look so stupid."_

The next thing Sora knew he was just one person in a crowd of nearly a hundred teenagers, all of them dancing to the loud pulsating music, but he'd lost track of the phantom-boy.  Almost about to pout at his loss, Sora nearly yelped as he felt a pair of arms slide smoothly around his waist, the Phantom's voice again speaking to him softly over the music's roar.  "I'm right here, don't worry."  _Oh, wow.  He feels ... nice._  Sure enough, the front of the phantom's body was pressed close against Sora's back, Sora able to feel almost every muscle of the boy's body move in response to his dancing.  He couldn't help but follow along with the hip swaying motion the phantom boy started up, leaning back in against the warmth of the body behind him.

_"I feel just like a local god_

_When I'm with the boys,_

_We do what we want,_

_We do what we want._

_I feel just like a local god_

_When I'm with the boys,_

_We do what we want,_

_Yeah, we do what we want."_

            Sora laced his fingers around those of the phantom, drunk off the loud music and the simple pleasure he just got from dancing so close with a total stranger and the heat the room was seeming to stir up.  Part of his mind was trying frantically to remind him of his feelings for Riku, desperately asking him what the hell he was doing when he was _supposed _to be saving it all for Riku, Riku, and only Riku.  But the Sora that was living for the moment happily boxed up the less-powerful voice, stowing it away until a more opportune moment would surely present itself.

_"Be my Romeo!_

_Tell me all about your love,_

_Tell me all about your pain,_

_Baited breath and rubber gloves.___

_Be my Romeo_

_My go-go Romeo,_

_I see you twist and turn,_

_You look so fucking stupid."_

Feeling his dance partner lightly grind his hips against him, Sora was suddenly snapped out of his trance and turned to face the phantom whose eyes were twinkling even in the dark.  Sora opened his mouth to explain to this phantom that he couldn't go _that_ far with someone... well, at least someone who wasn't Riku, only to have a finger placed over his lips, the phantom leaning close to him again.  

            "Don't you trust me... Sora?"

            Sora's eyes widened, looking up at the half-masked "stranger."  "R-Riku?"  Sora honestly couldn't decide if this was the best or worst thing that could happen.  Yes, it had been _Riku_ he'd been dancing with, but he had also _stopped_ dancing with that very same Riku.  _Gah__!  Stupid, stupid, stupid!  But... Riku knew he was Sora.  So then that meant..._

            "Keep going, Sora.  You don't just stop dancing in the middle of a song."  Riku smirked, suddenly closing the gap between them in one swift and fluent movement, pressing his lips against Sora's, whose eyes only widened more in disbelief.  No way was this happening to him.  It seemed more probable that he'd somehow died earlier in the day and only just now made it to heaven.  But did it really matter how it happened?  Riku drew the tip of his sender tongue along Sora's mouth, causing the younger boy to willingly part his lips, Riku eagerly plunging within.  Sora's mind had taken off without him, leaving him next to immobile and without thought or direction to tell him what to do.  Not that it mattered anyway, since Sora's body probably would've taken off on its own if his mind hadn't fled first.  Riku was still moving the two of them along to the loud music, rolling his slender hips against those of the smaller boy, causing Sora to moan softly into the kiss, Riku smirking against his mouth.

_"Oh, stupid, happy, and numb_

_I feel so stupid, happy, and numb_

_Mm, stupid, happy, and numb_

_I feel so stupid_

_I feel so stupid_

_I feel just like a local god_

_When I'm with the boys,_

_We do what we want,_

_I feel just like a local god _

_When I'm with the boys,_

_We do what we want,_

_Yes, we do what we want."_

            Breaking away from the kiss momentarily, Riku breathed heavily, placing his mouth next to Sora's ear.  "You know how long I've waited to do this?" the older boy whispered before tugging playfully at Sora's earlobe with his teeth.  Sora gasped in surprise at the sudden nip, but smiled.  So he hadn't been the only one with weird feelings like that...  Well, that certainly took a load off his shoulders, though at that particular moment, all Sora cared about was Riku.... Riku's arms around his waist, Riku's hips and sensual dancing, Riku's mouth, lips, hair, eyes...

            Meanwhile, one particular cluster of girls was watching the whole exchange delightedly.  Rikku squealed, clapping her hands together.  "Eee!  It worked!  Hehehe!  Look, Paine, lookit!  Awww, they're so _cuuuute_!"  Even Paine couldn't help but smile.  It was funny how the apparently "shy and timid" Sora had been willing to dance with a complete stranger like that.  Rikku's own theory, which she took that moment to announce to both Paine and Yuna, is that Sora _knew the phantom was Riku, but Sora didn't know he knew until he already knew it. All this ended up doing was confusing Yuna to no ends and getting a snort out of Paine, though secretly Rikku made a note to herself to jot it down.  It made sense to her... so what if Riku and Sora needed a little shove in the right direction?  It all worked out in the end apparently, though Bryna would undoubtedly be hounding her son for ages on that love-bite the boy was currently acquiring on his neck..._

.....................................

Phew.  Okay, okay, I know there wasn't a whole lot of action here.  I'm working on it!  It's sort of like a hot shower, you have to ease yourself into it.  ...Or something like that.  Ahem.  So the song played in the club is that of Everclear's "Local Gods."  It's an interesting song.  I don't particularly like it much, but the only other kind of music I own that would fit the dance is in Japanese and, well, there's your problem for you right there.  You'll also find the mention of molestable Sora, as I've found at least five desktops which have a picture of Sora and mentioning something about the boy being 'molestable.'  And whoever can tell me what's special about the costume shop gets... um, a hug.   ^^;;  So when will there be another chapter with growing RikuxSora lurve?  Well, I'll make all you readers a deal.  If I get out of school tomorrow due to snow, you'll get an update tomorrow as well as one on Sunday/Saturday.  If not, you'll probably get one on Sunday.  Think snow, folks.  Think snow.

            Thank you all for reading, as always!  I'm really excited that so many people are getting into this story, especially for those of you involved in band!  Maybe I've even nudged a couple people towards their school's guard team, eh?  Ah, there's always hope.  Speaking of which, my guard/band progressive dinner thing-gadget is Saturday!  So expect some band-inspired strings of events in upcoming chapters. ^^  I look forward to writing them!

~Ori


	9. Fences to Mend

Well, for those of you who downloaded 'Local Gods' and were like, "What the heck is _this?!"  I warned you.  ^^;  It really __isn't a good song, but I used it anyway.  *nods*  Obviously, there was no snow day on Friday and my excuse for not having this chapter up on Sunday like I'd planned is this: paopu t-shirts.  Yes, I spent my Saturday making paopu t-shirts with my friend before we both were shipped off to the Progressive Dinner for band.  Much fun was had, though I got no homework done, leaving it all for Sunday.  So concludes Ori's misadventures and reasons for the late update.  *bows*_

            Righto, so in this chapter you not only get more Riku/Sora fun, but you also get an important moment between Sora and his mom.  More info on Sora's dad and hintage at things to come.  Enjoy!

....................................................****

**One for the Band - Chapter Nine**

'Fences to Mend'

            Sora opened the door to his house as silently as possible, poking his head in and looking around to see if Bryna was lurking in a dark corner somewhere, waiting to surprise her son, waving the broken-curfew banner.  Sora's excuse?  Well, he didn't have a watch and most of his attention was focused on the dance/dance partner of the evening, so naturally the spiky haired punk-bunny had no idea that midnight had come and gone.  ...Somehow, Sora figured he'd need a better excuse to get past his mother.

            Grinning as he set his backpack on the floor before quietly tiptoeing up the stairs, Sora tried to relive every moment of the night before, leading up to that very morning.  The kissing, the dancing, the grinding (which still surprised Sora), Riku's lips--  _Creak_.  Oops.  Sora looked down at the top stair he was now standing on, praying it wouldn't have been enough to disturb Bryna.  Generally, she was a heavy sleeper, but if something like a missing son who was supposed to have been home by midnight was on her mind, then she tended to be the exact opposite.  _Hmpf__, she's probably too distracted by how her own stupid date went to bother caring about where I am anyway.  Sora inwardly winced at his own thoughts, knowing that they really weren't true, but still thinking them up anyway as he quickly continued to creep towards his room.  Letting out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd even been holding, Sora closed the door quietly behind him and moved to turn on the lights._

            "Phew, made---  AHH!" Sora shrieked, having turned around into his room only to find Bryna sitting primly on his bed, glowering at him.

            "Where have you _been_, Sora?"  Bryna narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she addressed her son.  Not giving him the chance to respond, she sighed and continued.  "What's wrong, Baby?  You haven't been talking to me much lately...  I miss you."

            Sora gulped trying to keep from crumbling into a pile of guilt on his bedroom floor.  No, he hadn't really been on normal speaking terms with Bryna since she'd started dating that guy.  Sora was never _ever one to hold a grudge, his upbeat attitude usually getting the better of him in all situations, but... Sora was disturbed to find that he didn't even _want_ to forgive his mother for just abandoning him like that.  But looking at Bryna as she was now, just a worried mother who'd been waiting for her only son to get back home all night long, Sora wanted to talk to her like he used to.  _

            "Nothing..."

            "Sora..."  Bryna half-smiled, patting the bed next to her.  "Come here."  Still being his mother's son, Sora obeyed, sitting glumly next to her on his bed, looking at his feet.  Several minutes passed between the two in silence before Bryna finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly soft compare to her usual bubbly tone.

            "I know that me going out with other guys isn't what you want, Sora.  I know that..."  Sora wished his mom would stop talking since all it was doing was weighing him down with guilt.  Literally, he felt like he was sinking deeper into the mattress from the piles and piles of the stuff he found resting on his shoulders.  But Bryna continued nonetheless.  "I like this guy, Sora.  He's fun to be with and he likes me too.  I want you to meet him sometime, but not now."  Bryna paused, a small smile coming to rest on her lips.  Sora tried to focus as hard as he could on his shoes, switching to idly fiddling with the oversized pocket watch he still had hanging around his neck from the costume.

            "...I remember the first time I met your father I thought, 'This is the one, Bryna!  This is him, this is him!  _This_ is who I've been waiting for!'  And we did love each other... very much.  And you were born and we both loved you so much more, and we still do.  Just because our love for each other isn't there anymore doesn't mean we'll ever forget you, Baby.  Don't ever think you'll be forgotten."  Bryna looked down at her son who had stopped looking so intently at his shoes, his cerulean eyes now closed to the world.

            "I'm sorry, Mom," he murmured.  It seemed pretty stupid then, how he'd been so furious at Bryna just for going out with some guy.  Even though he was sorry and willing to admit that how he'd acted was wrong, Sora couldn't help but wonder-- Mentally shaking his head, the boy pushed his thoughts and questions to the side.

            Bryna smiled, enveloping Sora in a warm hug only a mother can give, the boy gratefully accepting her embrace.  "Missed you, Sora."  Mother and son sat there in a warmer silence after that, not the unnerving one that had lingered in the air earlier.  Finally, Sora's mother chuckled.  "So how was your dance?  Meet someone special, huh?"

            Sora grinned.  "How'd you know?"

            "You were glowing when you walked through the door!  So tell me, is Riku everything you ever, _ever wanted?"_

            "And more."

            "More is always good."

            "Yeah... But Riku's _great_."

            "You're so predictable, Sora."

~~~~~~~

            _Clink!_

            Sora frowned, knitting his eyebrows together, though his eyes were still closed.  Through his half asleep mind, Sora figured that he'd only been asleep a few hours... No harm in adding a few more to the record.  Curling his blankets and sheets tighter around his slim body, Sora began to roll over, only to find his mouth suddenly covered by a warm soft hand.  Okay, he was _definitely _wide awake now.

            "Shh, Sora, it's just me."  Sora almost let out a huge sigh of relief right then.  It was just Riku... here he'd been thinking it was some sort of cereal killer come to carve out his intestines and use them as a jump rope or something.  Wait, Riku?  Instantly, Sora's heart jumped back into its quick pace again, Sora unable to keep himself from wondering why it was that Riku just happened to have crawled into the younger boy's room at, oh, four in the morning?  As Riku removed his hand carefully from Sora's mouth, Sora shifted around in his bed to face Riku, who obviously had made his way into Sora's room through the window, which was hanging partway open.  

            "Riku?  Wha...?"

            "I couldn't sleep.  Wanna take a walk?"  Sora smiled in the dark, the only light being that of the fading moon as it hung low in the sky behind Riku and out the window.  

            "Sure."  Riku gave the younger boy one of his rare smiles before accompanying him out the window and onto the railing of the porch below, Sora never having realized how easy the railing made it to gain access to his room.  The thought in itself was somewhat unnerving, but the fact that no one other then Riku had ever used the method of getting into Sora's room reassured him.  Riku would always be the one to think of the clever things like that.  

            The two boys walked away from Sora's house, blindly headed towards the island's coastline.  Sora walked along beside the taller silver haired youth, hands in the pockets of the hoodie he'd pulled on before slipping out the window.  Closing his eyes, Sora did what many people failed to realize he _always did.  Sora thought._

            More then anything, he felt he wanted Riku to tell Sora how he felt about him, rather then leaving him in the dark like that to wonder.  Surely if the older boy cared as much as-- But Sora's thoughts were cut off by yet another question he proposed to himself.  If the older cared about Sora as much as Sora cared about him, wouldn't he tell Sora?  But then again, Sora hadn't told Riku how he'd felt about him... Did that mean that Sora didn't care about Riku _enough?  That thought alone was enough to put Sora in a near panic stricken state, suddenly wanting to turn and run back to his house, burrowing himself back into his bed.  He didn't care about Riku enough to tell him how he felt?  Before Sora had a chance to really start worrying himself about his thoughts, Riku spoke up._

            "Sora?... I, uh... I have to tell you something."

           _Oh no, he's gonna say he hates me and he's disgusted by me or... "Haha, Sora!  You should've seen your face, what a funny joke..."  Sora winced, turning to face the older boy.  Suddenly, Riku grinned._

            "Well, I hate to tell you this, Sora, but your mom's decided to marry five men!"

            Sora's eyes widened.  "_Whaat_???"

            "Yep!  Not only is she doing _that_, but she's also given your dad legal custody of you.  You'll be moving up to the mainland first thing tomorrow morning!  Oh, not to mention the fact that Paine and Rikku broke up over a disagreement about what color pen Paine should use to write in her notebook, some rabid duck stole all the flags off the color guard poles, and also, Bruno ate your feet."  Riku pointed down at Sora's feet.  Or rather, the lack thereof.  "See?  Oh yeah, and before I forget, Quistis and I are back together!  We've found that we really do have a lot in common and love each other very much.  On top of that, we have big plans for having lots of sex and babies in the fu--""

            "Good morning, Sora!"

            Sora's eyes snapped open, peering up into his mother's face.  "Agh!!!  _MOM!!!"  Sora shook his head before gaping at her.  "Why are you marrying five men???"_

            Bryna blinked down at her son before bursting into laughter, clutching her sides.  "Oh so _that's what you were dreaming about?  I heard you talking to yourself in your sleep... Some babble about pens, feet, and legal custody, so I figured I'd better come in a wake you up before any of it got too out of hand.  ...Not that I really think it would be possible for--"_

           Sora sat up in his bed, the covers which had previously been draped over him falling down to his waist.  "Wait, okay, so you're not getting married to five guys?"

            "No!"

            "Not even to one guy?"  
            "No, Sora.  _Dreeeam.  Need I say it again?"  Bryna ruffled her son's messy hair with one hand before moving across his room to open the curtains of a window, sunlight pouring through.  Dusting off her hands, Sora's mother grinned and walked back out of his room.  "I'm making chocolate chip pancakes this morning!  Up and at 'em, Sora!  Don't forget to look for your feet in that pig pen you so lovingly call a room!"_

            "WHAT?!"  Sora whipped off the covers, though was relieved to find both feet still intact and fully mobile.  Scowling at Bryna's fading laughter from down the hallway, Sora flopped back down onto his bed for a few more moments, staring up at the ceiling.  So all that was a dream?  _I guess loud music and dirty dancing does weird things to people..._  Sighing, Sora dragged himself out of bed, pulling on a pair of old jeans with holes ripped into the knees as well as the small black t-shirt Rikku had given him.  After pulling on his shoes, the spiky haired teen jogged down the stairs, stuffed one pancake in his mouth, grabbing two with his other hand as he then made his way out the front door.  
            "Hey, where do you think you're going?  What about an actual breakfast?"  Bryna peered around the corner of the hallway, looking at her son in puzzlement.  She'd hoped that last night he'd gotten over any sulky feelings he'd had towards her...

            Sora chewed the pancake in his mouth, swallowing hurriedly and nearly choking in the process.  "Sorry, Mom, gotta run to the beach!"  Sora had to find out just how much of the night before had been a dream.  Bryna stood blinking at the closed door several seconds before chuckling to herself, turning back to her own plate of steaming hot pancakes.

            "Sora, Sora, Sora... You're such a crazy kid."

            Said crazy kid made his way through a thin copse of trees while polishing off the last of his chocolate chip pancakes, emerging on the other side to find himself looking out on the island's coast.  Grinning, he also spotted the familiar crowd of Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus, who had all made a habit of meeting up at the beach on Sundays, ever since they all were little kids.  Though the tradition had been every Sunday of every week, they'd decided to switch it to the first Sunday of every month, just to allow time for sports, clubs, and anything else that might come up in their lives as teenagers.  Sora's grin widened as he saw Riku standing amongst the crowd, his back to where Sora was standing, talking to Tidus and Wakka as the two boys passed a blitzball lazily back and forth, Kairi and Selphie lounging around in the glistening white sands of the beach.  Selphie looked up from her conversation with Kairi and waved to Sora, calling him over happily.  Waving back, Sora jogged over to the group of teenagers, wondering why he was having trouble forcing himself to make eye contact with Riku.

            Looking at the sand... Looking at Selphie who was babbling about tomorrow's practice session with the marching band... Looking at the blitzball now lying forgotten on the beach... Shoes, Tidus, Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, sky, water... _Hmm, okay, looking at Riku.... now!  Shoes.  Again.  __Grr__.__  **Now!  Sora glanced down at his nails.  Well, if the others hadn't noticed his nervousness by then, the nail-glance definitely did it.**_

            "Sora, you okay?"  Riku looked down at the younger boy with mock-concern.  Riku would have to have been a complete idiot not to notice Sora's sudden timid nature which seemed to be radiating off the younger boy.  Again, Riku had wished they'd been able to spend a bit more time together the night before, but the sudden realization that Sora's mother was going to kill him for being late had put an all too abrupt stop to the evening, not giving the boys the chance to clear things up between them.  As far as Riku was concerned, however, that just gave them an excuse to do it all over again.

            "Yeah, you look kinda funny, Sora."  Selphie cocked her head to the side and peered up at him, frowning slightly.  "Maybe it's just too much sun too soon after ya woke up?"

            Kairi nodded in agreement, also turning her gaze to look up at Sora before even allowing the boy a chance to disagree with Selphie's assumption.  "Yeah, maybe you should go sit in the shade a while.  How about the Secret Place?  It's nice and cool in there and the sun won't bug you so much."  Sora opened his mouth, trying to protest that he was really quite alright and wasn't feeling under the weather at all, only to find himself yet again cut off by Kairi.  "Hey, Riku?  Why don't you take Sora there?  If he faints or something along the way, we don't want him to be all alone," she said, nodding her head as though to agree with her own statement.

            More likely then not, Kairi and Selphie had somehow found out about last night's little dancing escapade.  More likely then not, it had been Rikku who'd told them in the first place.  Making a mental note to get revenge on the older blond girl, Sora soon found himself being escorted along the beach towards the waterfall, the Secret Place gingerly tucked behind some shrubbery off to the side of it.  Riku walked along beside the younger boy, hands in his pockets, trying to figure out if it would be alright for him to laugh or not.  Really, he was finding it hard to keep the laughter in, even more so when he managed to get a look at the puzzled pout Sora had on his face.  The younger boy was still obviously having trouble trying to figure out what Riku had meant by dancing with him the night before, whether or not it really meant anything.  Riku rolled his eyes inwardly.  Sora could be so dense sometimes.  Actually, it was one of his best qualities that made him the blissfully ignorant and innocent Sora that he was.  Well, that would just mean Riku would have to prove to the boy that the feelings Sora harbored for Riku weren't just one-sided.  

            "Do I really look sick to you?" Sora asked, finally breaking the silence between the two as they pushed past the plants in front of the cave entrance, making their way down the narrow passage which lead into the Secret Place.  

            "Nah, just scared."

            "Hey!  How do I look _scared?"  Sora shot Riku the best glare he could manage, though he ended up looking more like an angry little kid rather then the threatening look he'd been aiming for.  __Memo to self._  Glare: practice it._  _

            "Well..." Riku crossed his arms, both boys now standing in the middle of the dim cavern the group of them had dubbed the Secret Place.  Thin rays of sunlight managed to find their way through the holes in the top of the cave, though it wasn't enough to be truly bothersome, nor was it really enough to light the cavern properly.  "You look like a skittish horse, Sora.  Like one wrong move could send you running."  Riku smirked at the reaction his words got out of Sora.

            "It would _not!"  Sora narrowed his eyes at Riku, trying to ignore the voice in the back of his mind which pointed out how damn sexy Riku looked when he smirked like that.  __Scratch practicing the glare.  Make Riku smirk more.  _

            "Oh really?"  Riku took a step towards the younger boy, Sora's eyes widening as he did so.  Sora would've taken a step backwards as well, were it not for the fact that Riku would probably laugh at him.  Well, that as well as the fact that Sora would've just backed into the wall of the cave.  Riku uncrossed his arms, placing his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow at the younger boy in front of him.  "Alright then, Sora.  Prove it."

            "Prove what?" Sora asked hesitantly.

            "That you're not scared.  Come on, Sora, you can't possibly be scared of having to _prove_ you're not scared."

            "I'm not!"

            "Then what are you waiting for?"

            "I'm not waiting."

            "You're stalling."

            "I'm not stalling!"

            "You're doing it right now."

            "Then stop talking!"  In a haze of blind panic, Sora closed the small distance between then, bringing their lips together in one smooth, fluent motion.  _Oh crap!  What have I done?!  Sora's blue eyes were tightly shut, Sora having found himself suddenly afraid of looking at Riku's expression.  But upon feeling the initial surprise Riku had possessed when Sora had first initiated the kiss drift away from the older boy, Sora felt Riku twine his strong arms around Sora's narrow waist, instantly taking control of the kiss away from Sora and deepening it as he gently nudged Sora against the smooth rock of the cave wall behind him.  After several more moments like that, Riku gently released Sora's lips from his own, looking down at the younger boy, grinning as he noticed Sora's own small, dazed smile._

            "So... Did I prove anything?"  Sora looked hopefully up at Riku, who chuckled in response.

            "Yep."

            "But you're not kissing me again."

            "Then stop talking."  With that, Riku leaned down to continue where the last kiss had left off, pulling Sora closer against him.  Just as Riku was almost at a confident enough stage to slide his tongue into Sora's mouth, both boys were jolted back to reality by a loud and obnoxious noise from outside the Secret Place.

            "Hey, Sora, what'd you do?  Die in there?" Tidus called from outside the cavern.  Sora heard Wakka's chuckle as Kairi cut in.

            "Aww, come on, Tidus.  You don't need Riku to play blitzball!  You can teach Selphie and me!  Riku has to take care of Sora..."  This was followed by Selphie's squeak of dismay at having to play blitzball, though she grudgingly agreed several seconds later.  Sora and Riku listened to the argument that ensued outside the cave, Tidus not wanting to have to teach all the rules of the game to the girls, as well as Selphie and Kairi not wanting Tidus to go into the Secret Place... for some strange and unknown reason to Tidus and Wakka.  Riku frowned at the tunnel leading towards the cave entrance where the voices were coming from, looking down at Sora.

            "You know, we probably could've just kept right on doing what we were doing and they would've never noticed," he said quietly.

            "Yeah.  But they kinda destroyed the mood."

            "Well, wanna go play blitzball?"

            "Like nothing happened in here?"

            "Mm... no."

            Sora thought about this a moment before cocking his head to the side and looking up at Riku.  "Sure, but, uh... Does this mean I'm your..."

            "Boyfriend?" Riku asked.  Sora nodded.  "Yep.  Heh, like I'd really have it any other way."

            As both Riku and Sora made their way outside the Secret Place, they found that letting Selphie have access to a blitzball was by far the worst mistake any of them could ever have possibly made.  To put it bluntly, the innocent little girl just played downright dirty.  

            "Hey, Sora!  Are you gonna have a baby?"

            "_Whaaa__?" Sora gaped at her, rooted to the spot, unable to avoid the blitzball which came careening towards his head.  __Bok__!  "...Owww..." Sora rubbed his temple, scowling at Selphie who giggled madly as she ran to retrieve the blitzball._

            "Omigosh! Tidus!  Something just crawled in your pants!"

            "AGH! WHAT?!"  _Bok_!_  _

            "SELPHIE!"

            "Heehee!"

...............................................

            Phew.  Sorry that took so long to post everyone.  T.T  Yes, I know, for all that it took so long the chapter isn't exactly as long as I wanted it to be.  But in other random news, I caused a traffic jam in the hallway after passing a girl who had a t-shirt with Mickey on it.  He was wearing a crown.  Naturally, I put two and two together, stopped walking, attempted to suddenly turn against the flow of people and... well... pain was had.    Random Kingdom Hearts experience of the day: done.  

            As for more important personal info, I got my PSATs back today and... Well, let's just say I'm going to be pushing myself in the verbal department for a while.  Verbal, honestly!  *tears papers to shreds*  Nonetheless, my extra self-discipline verbal study will probably slow down updates for a little while.  I'm incredibly frustrated with myself at the moment...  Thankfully, all my angst will be poured into the next chapter, which is going to be rather lengthy.  So for those of you who like angst, stay tuned!  As always, thanks for your reviews as well as the time you spend reading my stuff!

~Ori


	10. Rain Magnets

SWEET MOTHER OF...  T . T  Note to self: When Word asks you if you want to save a document, always click yes.  ...Oh, just read the A/N at the bottom of this chapter.  Bah.

Warning:  Language!  Bad language in this chapter.  Yep.  Proceed with... expectancy of ... bad language.  o_o;  Duh.  But on a more serious note, the events which happen in this chapter I do not support **at all**.  I'm merely trying to make the situation seem as real as possible, and it has to be known that not everyone on the band would be willing to accept what Riku and Sora have with open arms.  But all will end well!  It always does.  Read on!

.............................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Ten**

'Rain Magnets'

            Sora floated through the remainder of his weekend in a dreamy haze.  There was absolutely nothing for him to worry about whatsoever, with no color guard tryouts on his mind and with the knowledge that Riku was _his_, Sora felt he could take anything and everything the school week could possibly decide to dish out to him.  _Haha!  Give me your **worst**, Quistis!  I'll take it, no problem!  Even as the brunette confidently paraded into the high school that Monday morning, he still felt everything was absolutely perfect, Riku walking beside him as he made his way towards the band hall, preparing to go into its depths for the very first time._

            As usual, the main hallway was crowded, so following Riku into the less bustling atmosphere of the band hall was a more then welcome event.  On top of which, Sora was delighted to find that the color guard was stationed their own set of lockers at a far end of the band hall, back by the door which led out to the school's blacktop.  The band hall itself was just as it always was, upperclassmen lounging around on the floor, some seated on top of lockers, everyone smiling, laughing, and overall just having a good time surrounded by their friends in their second-home.     

            "So-ra!  Heeey!"  Yuffie waved the younger boy over from her own seat beneath her locker, the rest of the color guard seated on the floor in much the same fashion, Selphie and Kairi sitting on top of the lockers above her.  The two younger girls grinned and greeted Sora in much the same perky ring, convincing Sora that indeed Yuffie was rubbing off on her younger charges.  That thought alone would probably have been enough to send Sora running were it not for the two things of that particular moment.  One quite obvious one was the fact that Riku was there, trumpet case in hand, raising an eyebrow at some ridiculous question Selphie was posing to him (no doubt about Sunday's Secret Place incident).  The other not-so-obvious reason being the sudden presence of Quistis in the hallway and the cold stare she gave him as she stormed over, popping Sora's bubble of pure happiness with one fell swoop.

            "Sora, Paine, Rikku, I need to talk to you three."  The three mentioned color guard members raised an eyebrow at their captain, none of them possessing the undying respect and devotion they were usually expected to have.  If anything, the sheer fact that it was _Quistis_ telling them something would normally have had them turning their attention elsewhere, but something seemed different about this.  Quistis didn't seem to want to speak to them to make their lives a living hell... She let off I-actually-have-something-really-important-to-discuss-with-you vibes, and both Paine and Rikku knew that when things got that serious, things were generally bad.

            "I assume none of you know what the hell it is I'm getting at," Quistis hissed to them under her breath as she pulled them all down to the far side of the hallway, back by the tail end of the rows of lockers.  "I'd suggest that the _next_ time you decide to go grinding with your hot new boyfriend Sora, you not only pick a place less populated, but you pick a costume less _you."_

            Sora's eyes widened as Quistis continued.  "Practically half the entire school knows about what you were up to this weekend because _everyone_ goes to the Split Key on Fridays, Sora.  Do you realize what you've done?"  ...No, Sora couldn't really find a problem with things once he was presented with the question.  So what if people at school knew what he did over the weekends?  Obviously he wasn't the only one who had gone clubbing... possibly the only boy who was grinding with _another_ boy... But who cared?  Sora was perfectly fine with people knowing about his new relationship, figuring that if they had a problem, _they_ could ensure that they got over that problem with time.  So in response, Sora merely blinked back owlishly at Quistis' demanding gaze.

            Narrowing her eyes into a death glare, Quistis turned around and tugged a large piece of paper down from on top of one of the lockers, where it'd been lying face down.  Flipping the poster face up, she held it in front of Sora, Rikku, and Paine, the three reading the words of the poster.

            Or rather, the somewhat mutilated words.

           Obviously, the poster was meant to be a section banner, seeing as the walls of the band hall were adorned with them, several hanging up over the different sections of the marching band (some for the saxophones, some for the tubas, trombones, trumpets, etc.).  It only made sense for the color guard to have a banner as well, seeing as they were sort of like their own section of the marching band.  ...Only...

           Letters that had once formed the words, "Go Color Guard!" now had a strategically place 'A-Y' added to the array, instead reading "Go Color GAYuard!"  Rikku let out a squeak of dismay, her hand instinctively reaching out towards the poor poster, it having been Rikku herself who had made it earlier in the year.  Quistis narrowed her eyes at the three she'd gathered before her, returning the poster to lie face down on top of the lockers where it had been earlier.

            "See what happens with this?  Honestly, between you and Rikku and now Sora and Riku, the entire school is going to be convinced that the color guard is all gay," Quistis spat, glowering at Paine.  The crimson eyed girl only narrowed her eyes slightly in response, crossing her arms, though saying nothing, allowing Quistis to continue talking, well aware of the fact that the scene unfolding at the back of the band hall was drawing the attention of several other non-color guard members.  Well, let it happen.  It was Quistis who started it anyway.

            "_You might not have a problem with that, but **I** do because **I'm straight!  God, what's **__wrong with this school, with this guard??  I mean, _you_ can just go screw any girl you like, but now we have to deal with having a guy on the guard, and a _gay_ guy at that!  Do you even __know how much this is going to screw us over?  We're not all like you people, you fag--"_

            The hallway went silence as Quistis suddenly found Paine with a tight grip on the collar of her sweater, a cold glare shooting out of her burning eyes.  "You're done, Quistis.  You're finished speaking for now.  I think it's about time you accepted the fact that Sora is a member of the color guard, and as captain you are obligated to treat us all fairly and with respect.  If you don't agree with that obligation, then perhaps you are not fit for serving the guard as a captain.  Do you understand?"  Paine's voice was barely audible, only being heard by the select few surrounding both her and Quistis.  The color guard captain scowled as Paine released her, shooting the silver haired girl a scowl, but remaining silent.  

            Sora stared blankly at Paine and Quistis, before he realized that he heard something...  Was someone... laughing?  Turning around, Sora found the person snickering softly to be seated beneath the row of lockers dedicated toward the trumpets.  The boy was older then Sora, probably a junior like Riku or a senior, with dark curly hair and... A really, _really_, annoying laugh.  The older boy looked up, meeting Sora's eyes, and made a face of mock disgust.

            "Ew, don't look at me, you fag!  God, if you start hitting on me, I swear I'll beat your fucking brains out, you cock sucker!" the boy hissed at Sora.  This caused several of the boy's surrounding friends to burst into laughter, as well as several other band members.  Sora could almost feel the anger radiating off of Riku, who stood several feet away from his younger boyfriend, fists clenched tightly at his sides.  The earlier outburst from the older boy drew glares came from some, harsh reprimanding words from others, and jeers from many as the once peaceful nature of the band hall suddenly took a turn for the worst.

            "You don't have the right to talk to him like that, Kosha!"

            "Whadda you know, fag-lover?"

            "Hey, don't talk to my girlfriend like that!"  
            "Like what? Like--

            "Ahem."  The hall returned to dead silence as they all uniformly turned to find Cid standing in the doorway to the band room, two figures behind him, leaning against a wall.  Sora had passed both the older boys in the hallway several times before, but he had no idea who they were, nor had he even known they were in the marching band at all.  No matter, if things kept up this way, he wouldn't really have been surprised if Quistis saw to it that he never spun a flag again.  Once Cid was aware that he had the undivided attention of the band hall, even Kosha, he spoke in a rather cold tone, though he didn't raise his voice above normal speaking level, everyone able to hear his words clearly all the same.

            "Alright, pay attention, because you all know I hate repeating myself.  It's pretty damn obvious that there's some conflict as to what's goin' on with the color guard's new edition.  If anyone has a problem with it, you take it up with your section leader and if they don't set you straight, then you all report to a drum major or **me**.  We're a marching band, people.  Not a narrow-minded gaggle of dithering idiots here to make someone's life miserable.  That kid made the guard because he can spin a flag, not because I wanna be some goddamned revolutionary band director.

            "Now whether or not you all choose to cooperate here is up to you.  We can run through this like we do every year and have a great time along the way, or not, but you've gotta be the ones to decide.  If you don't think you'll be able to hold back a snide comment at today's practice, then don't come.  But if you're not marching out there this afternoon, don't expect to be marching at a competition."  With that, Cid turned and disappeared back into the band room, the first bell of the day ringing almost as though on cue.  The students in the band hall reverted back to quiet conversation, many of them standing up to leave to their first class already.  

            As much as Sora felt stunned and hurt, and all he really wanted was a hug of reassurance or _something_ from Riku, he made no move to receive any consolation.  That wouldn't help him in the end anyway.  He'd just have to prove that he could handle whatever it was that people would dish out to him... He'd just have to _hope_ he could handle it.

            Sora tried desperately hard to focus on his classes for the rest of the day, but it seemed that everything had just dropped down from its previously happy state, leaving Sora thinking that his life had somehow been turned into a roller-coaster ride when he hadn't been looking.  While he wasn't looking, he also got pelted with a blitzball several times over in gym as well as declaring 'blue' as an answer to a problem on the board in his geometry class.  Yes, things were definitely looking pretty grim by the time lunch rolled around.

            Aware of the whispers and stares which followed him wherever he walked, Sora sighed, collapsing onto a chair at his usual lunch table.  Only those closest to Sora and Riku treated the two the same as they always did, even Tidus and Wakka snapping back into their old attitudes once they got over the shock of discovering that two of their best friends were now _boy_friends.  Sora was relieved to find that Riku's anger from that morning had flickered out, instead replaced by something that vaguely resembled amusement.  At one point, Sora felt like his head was about to split open from all the rumors and gossip about him he heard flying around the cafeteria and scowled at the surface of the table, feeling half the school's eyes on him as he ate his lunch.  He supposed it didn't help that he was sitting across Riku, provoking even more rumors of some sort of intimate footsy, or some such stupid thing, and Sora finally threw down his apple in frustration.

            "Honestly!  What do they think I'm gonna do, just grab you and start ravishing you right here on the damn table?!"  Riku raised an eyebrow at the younger boy's outburst as he sipped calmly from his soda.  Removing the can from his mouth, Riku pulled his lips back into a smirk.

            "Sounds good to me."

            "GAAAH.  Ri-kuuuuuuu...."

~~~~~~~

            It was all really quite simple.  As the first drill practice of the year, not much was expected from the students and Cid made sure to point this out to them all over a loud speaker he'd had rigged up on the blacktop.  The entire band stood out there, instruments either dangling from their hands or place neatly on the ground beside them, and everyone had a certain packet of papers they would all come to know and love as their drill charts.  What the drill charts, Sora soon found, was what someone had decided would be an 'easy' way for the band to come to learn their marks on the field without needing one on one assistance from an older band member who was experienced in the marching field.

            Sora felt like a fish out of water.

            Thankfully, Riku pulled the younger boy aside before the practice started, ignoring the snickers it drew from the other band members, and walked him through the drill charts one by one.  The walkthrough was only half as helpful as it should have been, though, since Sora was too busy ogling the silver haired boy's mouth as it spoke to him in a quiet voice, Riku's head bent over the drill charts.  _God, Riku's gorgeous.  All the day's earlier problems seemed to melt away right then and there for Sora._

            Riku, meanwhile, was trying to contain his laughter.  He was well aware of the fact that Sora was hardly listening to a word coming out of his mouth, much more focused on his mouth itself.  Hell, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure the younger boy out and Riku had an advantage to begin with, having known Sora practically his entire life.  

            "Alright, people!  First drill chart, let's go!  Starting from the top of 'Comedian's Gallop!'  Let's go!"  Band members hurried to comply with Cid's directions, Riku quickly telling Sora he was fourteen tick marks up from the sideline on the twenty yard line.  The directions made very little to no sense at all for Sora as he nodded numbly, folding the charts up, sticking them in his pocket, and grabbing his flag.  Now, if he could just find out where he was supposed to be...

            Skidding into his drill spot several seconds before the music began to play around him, Sora blinked up at the two platforms which had been set up in front of the band.  On each of the platforms stood a high school student, Sora instantly recognizing them to be the two boys who had been behind Cid during the speech he'd given the band earlier that morning.  _Now if I could only remember their names..._

            "_Horns up!"  _

            What?  Sora tried not to look too confused, realizing he probably should've paid more attention to what Riku had been saying earlier.  This was bad.  From somewhere behind him, Sora could hear a lone member of the drum line pick up a beat with his sticks, tapping four times before the rest of the band began to play...

            Thankfully, Sora had heard Riku say to start marching on the _left foot, so that was one less problem.  But one less problem didn't seem to help him all that much in the end.  It wasn't just him either.  The marching band was everywhere, going left when they were to go right, bumping into each other, stepping on one another's toes...  Sora once caught a glimpse of Cid as he watched the band, the older man struggling to contain his laughter.  Sora really couldn't see what was so funny.  Wasn't Cid supposed to be--?_

            _Crash._

"Ow!  Sora, look out!" Kairi complained quietly as the two collided into one another.  Thankfully, they weren't the only ones, so there was no way the mistake could be credited to any poor color guard skills Sora was rumored to have at that point.  Actually, Sora was beginning to wonder if they were really just rumors... He didn't understand marching at _all.  The routine itself wasn't that complicated, and Sora had practiced it many times over with Paine and Rikku, but now that he was supposed to walk and be thinking of where he was going next... Sora was just plain lost._

            Over and over again, 'The Comedian's Gallop' was drilled, over and over until almost the entire band was groaning each time Cid would declare, "Okay, from the first picture!"  Finally, the band director called the torture session to an end with a chuckle, calling the band over towards him, taking on a somewhat more serious nature.

            "Okay, okay.  For those of you new to band, you don't know I always do this every year.  I know you guys don't know what the hell it is you're doing, that's okay.  But just study your drill charts and your music and we'll get started with the real practice on Wednesday!  And..."  Cid nodded with satisfaction, looking out at the body of students in front of him.  "Good job today.  Not drill-wise.  But being a band.  And..." Cid cut himself off, looking up at the sky which had darkened significantly since the practice session had started, cloud swelling up in the distance, promising rain to come.  "Well, never mind all that!  Ah, you guys know I'm proud of you.  Now go on and get home before you all get soaked!"

            Sora couldn't help but smile as he too realized that aside from the occasional snicker or whispered comment, he really hadn't had to suffer through quite so much at that practice.  Riku had found Sora and made his way over to the younger boy, the strad held in his hand gleaming even in the smothered sunlight.  The silver haired boy grinned, just as the first drops of rain began to fall from the sky, everyone except the two of them fleeing for the shelter of the building.  Let the rain fall, it was alright by them.  With the few seconds which passed between them, the rainfall increased, now a dull roar surrounding the two boys standing alone on the blacktop, both smiling like idiots. 

            Riku laughed, grasping Sora's hand with his, guiding the younger boy away from the blacktop, though not seeming the least bit hurried.  "We have a bad habit of getting caught in the rain, huh?"

            Sora grinned, resting his head on Riku's shoulder as they continued to walk towards the parking lot.  "Mmm... I'm not complaining."  Neither seemed to care that both flag and trumpet were sharing the rain with them, both Sora and Riku simply happy that the day was over.

            "So I was thinking, it's about time I paid you back, ne?"

            "Paid me back?"

            "Oh, Sora, you haven't forgotten already, have you?"  Riku looked down at the puzzled expression on the brunette's face, clearly visible even through the rain, and burst into laughter.  "I can't believe it!  You completely forgot!"  

            And naturally Sora remembered then.  "Oh!  No, no, no I didn't!  Yeah!  You need to reward me because I made the guard!  That's right!  So pay up, buddy!" Sora exclaimed, the boys having already reached Riku's car.  Unlocking the doors and sliding into the driver's seat, Riku watched his boyfriend appreciatively as he slid into the seat next to him.  Wet clothes worked very well on Sora... Riku made a mental note to remember that as he reluctantly tore his eyes away from Sora's ass, focusing on the road in front of him as he began to pull out of the school parking lot.

            "Sooo, what do I get, hmmm?"  Riku's green eyes widened.  Was it his raging hormones, or had Sora just _purred_ out that last sentence?  Grinning, he responded with a simple, "You'll see" and continued to drive towards his house.  Sora smiled triumphantly, leaning back in his seat.  He'd finally gotten one up on Riku with the purring move.  Why else would Riku be so riveted on driving now?  Well, other then the fact that it _was_ pouring rain and could be quite hazardous, but Sora didn't doubt Riku's amazing driving skills for a moment. 

           Several minutes later, as Riku closed the front door to his house, Sora wondered what _other skills the older boy had.  Inwardly gasping in shock at his own thoughts, Sora shoved them aside, trying to look at his boyfriend with as clean a mind as he could.  But looking at Riku period was enough to scratch that idea.  Both teens having run inside from the rain, they were soaked to the bone, rain dripping smoothly off of Riku's silver hair, clothes clinging to his body like a second skin.  Riku caught Sora's stare and returned it, meeting the brunette's eyes more then willingly.  _

            Sora's eyes fluttered closed as Riku leant in to kiss him gently on the mouth, his lips still wet from the rainwater outside.  Running his tongue over Sora's closed mouth, the younger boy eagerly complied with Riku's wishes and parted his lips, allowing Riku to explore ever corner of that mouth, his tongue claiming it all his.  Everything was so very slow, Riku's hands **slowly sliding down to Sora's hips, his mouth **slowly** moving to kiss the younger boy's neck, and biting gently against the tender skin before gently kissing away any pain he could've dealt.  **

            "Nnn... Riku..." Sora murmured, then gasped suddenly as his hips came into contact with Riku's.  Even if the movement was quite by accident, the friction it generated sent a tremor like reaction racing through Sora's body, putting his senses into overdrive.  Riku slid a hand up Sora's shirt, running his fingertips over the boy's slender chest, causing Sora to shiver against him.  Biting Sora's earlobe, eliciting a small moan from the brunette, Riku smiled and--

            The phone rang.

            Snarling at the interruption, Riku glared at the phone on the wall.  Sora moaned, though more in frustration this time then pleasure.  

            "Fuck!  Can't I **ever** get **anywhere** without something getting in the way?"  Riku stormed over to the phone, Sora leaning against the wall, grinning like an idiot.

            "Clothes get in the way all the time, Riku, but it doesn't seem to stop you anyway," Sora said with a snicker.

            "Oh, you know what I meant..."  Riku narrowed his eyes at the boy, who's grin only widened, and picked up the phone, putting the receiver next to his ear, trying hard to control his voice and not sound out of breath.

            "Hello?"

            "Riku, what are you doing molesting my son?  I told him he had to be back for dinner tonight!"

            Riku blinked.  How did Bryna always know things like that?  Putting the question aside for later, Riku tried to keep himself from sighing.  Apparently the make-out session between him and Sora was going to have to wait.  Again.  "Umm, I'm sorry, Bryna.  Sora didn't _mention it."  Riku narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend pointedly, causing Sora's facial expression to change from one of confusion, to one of realization, and finally a wince of dismay.  Apparently Sora had just forgotten about the entire thing.  ...Not exactly a surprise, though.  Who wouldn't forget a simple detail like that after such a ... 'busy' day?  "Do you want to talk to him?"_

            "That'd be good Riku, thanks.  I'm glad that if he has to make-out with someone, it gets to be you!"

            "Er... thank you."  Riku tried to hide his smile as he handed Sora the phone and took the younger boy's place leaning against the wall, watching the scene before him.  It was obvious there was some sort of argument in the making, one that Riku would bet his life-savings on Sora's losing.  Sora could never stand up to his mother very well...  It was just one of the things that made the boy the innocent little Sora he was.

            "Mom?!  Wha-- Uh... Yes....No!...I know, but... Aw, Mom, you gotta be kidd-- Mo-om!  Please?  ...Why?  ...Yeah... I know, I know... "

            As interesting as listening to Sora's phone conversation was, Riku was the type of person who was always coming up with fun, new ideas to make life more interesting for everyone.  

            "Yeah, I kn--Ah!"  Sora gasped, suddenly feeling Riku's arms around his waist, the older boy's warm breath in his ear which wasn't covered by the phone, his fingertips slipping dangerously low past the waistband of Sora's pants.  Oh yes, Riku was definitely going to be hearing about _this_ later.

            "Sora, are you okay, Sweetie?"

            "Y-y-yeah, Mom, I'm... fine."

            "Well **good, because even if you were suffering from a first degree burn I'd **still** drag you back down here!  You know I told you this morning that I'm having Sam over for dinner and I wanted you to meet him...  We were going to go to the movies, but the weather's so bad, we're just watching something at--"**

            "Ah!"

            "...Sora?"

            "Fine, Mom, just f-fine!"

            "Right then.  Whatever.  Just hurry up, you're already late as it is."  Click.

            Riku grinned.  "What's that?"

            Sora scowled.  "We're having dinner with my mom and her boyfriend now.  Way to go, Riku."

..........................................

            (Yes... I said angst last chapter, didn't I? Well you had... umm... hardly any!  ^^;;  Really, when I was forced to rewrite the entire first half of this chapter, I somehow managed to lose track of most of my Sora-angst.  Which I suppose isn't really a bad thing, since fluff is always good too.  Now for the more important matter at hand...

            **Important, please read!:  Yes, yes, okay, you've gathered that.  Anyway, I'm planning on writing a fic especially for Valentine's Day.  No, not your standard "Valentine's Day on Destiny Islands!" thing, more like a fic that's just supposed to make you go 'Aww!'  So for those of you who like the fluff of this chapter, that'll be a day for you to look out for.  Mostly, the fic is just for those of you (like me __) who are stuck home alone Valentine's Day evening and are in need of a good cuddly story.  Now then, I need you all to tell me the pairing!  I've got several story ideas already thought up, I just need to know who it is I'm writing about.  Anyone you want, it doesn't have to be just Riku and Sora.  ^^;;  Though I've got this crazy feeling I'll get most people selecting that pairing... Whatever works, it's all up to you!  So just drop me an email or leave your input in a review, whichever works best.  XD  Thanks!**

            Oh yes, and who can guess who the mysterious drum majors are?  *grins*  Any guesses?  Anyone?  Before I forget, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to post.  But the first half was deleted by accident when I told Word not to save the document's changes and... Yes.  Ori was not a happy camper.  But all's well now, because I have a three day weekend!  Which means you may get **two more updates before Tuesday!  Wooow.  And if not, you'll at least have one more.  Then next weekend is a four day weekend, so expect even more updates!  Oh the joy!**

            ...I think I'm pushing the rating a bit for this fic... Oh dear.  o_O  

            A sneak peek into chapter eleven... Sora and Riku finally come face to face with Sora's mom and her latest boyfriend.  Oh the heterosexuality!  Yes.  Much fun to be had and morals to be learned!  Such as why you _don't go on a double date with your mother._

~Ori


	11. Lullaby for the Wide Awake

And, after the hiatus from hell, One for the Band has returned with the writing greatly improved (especially thanks to beta readers Chiikume and Lady Kaiba!!) and better then ever.  ^^  Hope there's a noticeable difference. 

            Disclaimer:  As earlier mentioned, Kingdom Hearts and all related things aren't mine.  If wishes were pennies, I _still _wouldn't even own it because I have zip in the way of money.  Yes.  Onward.

……………………………………….

**One for the Band - Chapter Eleven**

'Lullaby for the Wide Awake'

            If Sora learned nothing else out of life, he was thankful for learning one thing. 

            That thing was that, on a regular basis, his mother made something she proudly called 'buffalo wings.'  These 'buffalo wings,' Sora had soon found, were not _real_ buffalo wings, for it's a well known fact that buffalos, indeed, do not have wings. But what Sora did find out is that his mothers chicken was the most painful food in existence.  A standard two bottles of water had to follow each small piece of chicken, otherwise Sora's mouth felt like it would just flat out explode.

            The annoying thing was that he seemed to be the only one with such a problem.

            "This chicken's delicious, Bryna!"

            "Aww, thanks, Sam!"  Sora still shuddered inwardly at the man's name.  _Sam_??  What sort of a name was Sam? Who in their right mind would ever even consider naming a baby that?!  But, then again, Sora had to remind himself to try and look on the bright side of things.  Such as...  Well, he was having a tough time thinking of any... But he was sure they were there somewhere!

            Sam actually wasn't the bad person Sora had thought he would be.  If anything annoyed Sora (more then the fact that his tongue appeared to be oversensitive... and he figured that if he told Riku about it, the older boy would laugh and tease him about said tongue for the next **year**), it was the fact that he had trouble finding problems with Sam.  He laughed at all the right times, said all the right things, and most importantly, didn't seem to give Sora and Riku's somewhat obvious relationship a second glance.  

            Once the awkwardly _un_-awkward dinner was over, Sora excused himself from the table and just disappeared.  Riku stayed behind, still finishing one last bite of chicken and received a rather pleading look from Bryna, who seemed to figure that Sora's boyfriend would instantly know what was wrong with her son.  Riku gave her a half-shrug and an apologetic smile before he quietly excused himself and began to search for Sora himself.

            Pushing his chair in behind him, the silver haired teen chose to start with the most obvious place, that being Sora's room.  But upon opening the door, all Riku found was a typically messy, but nonetheless _empty_ bedroom staring back at him as though asking him just what the hell he thought he was doing.  Riku was about to close the door, and most certainly would have, had he not noticed the window hanging wide open, curtains askew and wrinkled at its sides.  

            "Sora?" Riku asked quietly, peering out the window.  

            "...Hey, Riku."  Riku looked up in surprise at the boy's voice, not _really_ having expected him to be outside the window.  Sure enough though, a pair of yellow sneakered feet were dangling just inches above his head, scooting over slightly so that Riku could have access to the roof.  The silver haired boy reached out a pale hand and swung himself onto the roof with ease, even though the surface was still slick from the rain earlier.  Sora didn't look at his boyfriend, instead focusing on his dangling feet in front of him, his mind wandering.

            "Something wrong, Sora?"

            "...No, I'm just a little tired."  Sora was a terrible liar.  Riku sighed, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the darkened sky, blackness stretching as far as the eye could see, the only disturbance being that of the gentle waves of the ocean surrounding Destiny Islands.  The back of his mind took note of the fact that there were still far too many clouds to allow the stars to sparkle and dance in the sky as they normally would over the island, but that was really the least of his concerns at the moment.  

            "I'm not going to push it, Sora... But if you wanna talk about it--"

            "Why..." Sora trailed off numbly and only continued after Riku asked him to.  "Why... does everyone think we're so _wrong_?" 

            Riku raised his eyebrows in surprise.  He hadn't known that the whole band thing had really bothered Sora all that much.  Actually, as far as Riku was concerned, it would have made more since for the younger boy to still just be holding a grudge against Sam's presence, not upset over what some high school punks thought.

            "Who cares what everybody else thinks?  I've got you, I'm good.  Isn't it enough?"

            Sora frowned looking at the slated rooftop beneath his fingers.  Now he just felt selfish about it all.  But just being up there, sitting next to Riku and just _talking_... It felt nice.  Up there they were past everything else.  It wasn't the top of the world, but it was still above the surface where he could breathe.  It was...  Just like his dream.  Riku noticed Sora's prolonged silence and cocked his head to the side, worried the silence was due to his last comment.

            "Or... is it not enough?"  Sora looked up in surprise at Riku's voice, turning to look at his friend with a small smile.

            "No, it's enough.  I was just thinking.  I had a dream almost exactly like this."

            "Exactly like what?"

            "Us.  You and me, sitting here on this roof, only the sky was_ really _weird... It was like, the sun had one half of it, the moon had the other... And there were these stars that were like _people_, but they weren't... You said they were angels, I think, but I said angels had to have wings.  And then you just sorta faded away and disappeared."  Sora waved his hands about in the air as though conjuring his dream all over again with the real sky, invisible paint dancing from his fingers and up into the clouds.

            Riku smiled.  So innocent... Sora would never lose that.  "Well, I'm not going anywhere now.  'Least not until you tell me you're okay and we can head back downstairs and watch that movie with your mom and Sam."

            "Yeah, I'm good now.  It was just... bothering me."

            "People can change, Sora.  They'll change.  I promise."  Sora smiled as Riku laughed, both of them shifting closer towards the window below them.  "And if they don't change, that's their loss, not ours!"

            Riku and Sora made their way back down the stairs towards the living room, where Bryna and Sam already were occupying one of the two cream-colored loveseats situated in the small room.

            "Sora!  How nice to see you're not dead!"  Sora rolled his eyes upon hearing Sam's chuckle at his mother's statement.   Maybe that's why Bryna liked him.  He laughed at her corny jokes.  What would be even more pathetic would only be if he actually _did_ think they were funny an--  Sora had to stop himself before he got too carried away.  Sam wasn't evil.  He'd just have to work a little harder to convince himself of this.

            "Everything okay, Sora?  I haven't seen you look so bummed like that since... Oh, what was that one's name...?"

            Riku chimed in, sitting next to Sora on the overstuffed couch, a smirk playing across his face.  "Oh, you mean the hamsters?"  
            Uh oh.

            "Yes!  Now let's see, there was Snotty, Spit, Spike..."

            "Spoon, don't forget that one."

            "Oh yes, Spoon!  That one was such a sweetie."

            "Stupid, Silly, Syrup, Siggy, Sumo, Scuba..."

            "Stick, Spaceboy, Stew, Special, Sink, Spud, Samoa... Didn't he name one Starburst?"

            "No, that was Selphie.  I think she put it in the microwave."

            "Aw, that's too bad."

            If Sam hadn't been disturbed earlier, he most certainly had to be by that point.  Sora gritted his teeth, snatching a DVD from atop the TV screen and placing it into the DVD player, jabbing the play button with his index finger.  No one _needed_ to know about his inability to keep things alive for more then a few months at best.  Honestly.

            Sora slid back into his seat next to Riku, shooting the older boy a dirty scowl, receiving only a chuckle in return as Riku slid his arm around Sora's shoulder, instantly melting the younger boy's heart.  Sora did, however, glance over at Bryna and... Sam.  He still mentally cringed every time he thought of that name.  Perhaps it was that immense pity of having to _live_ with such a boring name that made Sora at least give his mother date a chance.  It wasn't Sam's fault his name labeled him as boring after all.

            But as the movie slowly progressed, Sora found that no one in the room could possibly fit into the category of 'boring' at all.  The jokes Sam cracked at the old seventies film were witty and just plain _funny_, but not hard to understand at all.

            Maybe all the guy needed was a chance.

~~~~~~~

            "Alright, that's _enough_!"  

            Sora's eyes widened as he whirled around in fear to look at the person who's voice had just seemed to rip the entire marching band to shreds, clutching his flag between his hands as though it were his only lifeline.  Crap, what had he done now?  Sora prayed that the drum major realized that it wasn't his fault he'd tripped.  Honestly, had _no one_ noticed that jackass of a trombone player _purposely _trip him up?

            "What on earth was all _that _about?"  Apparently not.

            "Sorry... sir."

            The drum major sighed, rolling his eyes to the sky as though pleading for some sort of assistance of any kind.  Anything to just get this idiot kid to not screw the entire picture up.  The blond drum major appeared next to the brunette, shooting his friend a scowl before giving Sora a half smile and a chuckle.  "For the millionth time, Sora, when they say 'treat the drum major with respect,' you _don't_ have to call us 'sir' all the time.  It's _Cloud_," the blond pointed to himself, "and _Leon_," and he then pointed to the disgruntled looking brunette beside him.  As an afterthought, Cloud then turned to the nearby trombone player, who was busy trying to muffle her laughter.  "And as for _you_, Leon may have missed that, but I didn't.  You're lapped.  Start running," he said with a grin, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to usher her onwards.

            "What the hell?!  Cloud!!"

            "Yes?"  Cloud raised an eyebrow, shooting the girl a look which plainly said he had other and more constructive things to do.

            The girl shot Sora an icy glare before storming over towards Cloud, trombone held loosely in one hand, the other placed dramatically on her hip as she approached the drum major and hissed, "You can't possibly be defending him _too_."

            Leon folded his arms and glanced at the girl, but didn't open his mouth.  Another apparent fact which became clear to Sora was that Leon didn't seem to speak much.  Huh, weird how he'd seemed to get so upset just because Sora had apparently messed up, but he'd allowed Cloud to step in with no problem.  

            "As a matter of fact, I _can_, I _did_, and you now have _two_ laps.  If I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead."  Cloud stared coolly back at the girl as she gaped at him before bursting again.

            "Cl-oud!  This is stupid!  I can't believe you're actually--"

            "Three laps."

            "NO WAY."

            "Four."

            "CLOUD!  Cut it _out_!"

            "Five.  Want to run two miles and we'll call it even?"

            Several other band members were being drawn into the conversation, confused as to why they weren't continuing with the last ten minutes of practice they had left.  Clarinet players peered over their shoulders as the girl began to grown pink in the face from arguing with Cloud, who simply continued firing numbers back at her, causing her round face to grow redder by the second.  By the time Cloud made it to ten laps, the other players were more then willing to get a foot into the argument.

            "Yeah, Cloud, you gotta be kidding me?  The guy's a screw-up, he shouldn't even be on the damn guard in the first place."

            "Hey!  That's not true!"

            "Oh, what, like _you _know?"

            "Cloud, isn't ten laps pushing it?  I mean, seriously."

            "Well maybe all you guys should start running if you're gonna be bigoted assholes about it."

            "Hey, shuddup!  No one asked for your opinion!"

            "No one asked for yours either, so nyeeeeh!"

            As more and more voices began chiming in, Sora discovered one final, third fact of band-life from that day's practice session.

            "Be quiet."

            Everyone listens to Leon.  

            The entire band somehow managed to hear what, to Sora, had come out as barely audible and the blacktop plummeted into silence.  Leon looked coldly around at the surrounding band members who had gathered around the situation, magnifying it to a deal twenty times larger then it actually was.  Almost instantly, the students backed down, making to return to their assigned drill spots before Leon's voice stopped them yet again.

            "Don't bother.  Everyone get over here."

            The band members hesitated, wondering if it would be easier to run for their lives, or to obey Leon.

            "_Now_."

            'Obey Leon' seemed to be the decision.  

            "Sit down."

            All one hundred and fifty seven members of the band sat down where they were, clustered out in a large blanket surrounding Cloud and Leon.  

            "Now shut up and listen.  You are all idiots.  You don't know what you're doing and you don't know how to do it.  What's worse is that you don't make the effort to try because you're too busy trying to dismantle someone else's shot at this.  So let's go over a few things."  Perhaps no one else noticed, but Sora was close enough to Leon and Cloud to see a brief exchange of looks pass between them and he couldn't help but wonder if the drum majors had somehow developed some sort of telepathy between themselves.  Leon held up fingers as he began to count off 'a few things.'  

            "One, you will all treat each other with the same integrity as respect that you would show a member of your family.  Two, you will listen to what either Cloud or I say.  Three, you will _not_ continue pointing fingers and blaming one another for messing up.  Four, you will worry about you and you alone.  And five..."

            "You'll leave Sora the hell alone!" Cloud chimed in.  Leon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms again as Cloud picked up from where he left off.

            "Okay, who here has a complaint?  You better say it now because I'm sure as hell not listening later."  Several hands were thrust into the air, several eyes narrowed at Cloud, begging him to challenge their word.  "Alright then, what's your problem?"  Cloud nodded towards the nearest person who had his hand raised.

            "You sticking up for some homo--" Several spurts of laughter shot up from nearby band members, several growls from others, "who seems to be a total fuck-up anyway."

            "And what makes you say that?"

            "What, you and Leon got a crush on the boy too?"  The boy burst into laughter along with his friends, but failed to notice that the rest of the band members fell eerily silent as Cloud blinked at the speaker, walking towards him and crouching down in front of him.

            "Hm, you think we do?"

            "Haha, I dunno, Cloud, why don't _you_ tell _us_!"

            "If you think that calling me gay is going to insult me, I think you better try a different tact."

            "Huh?"

            Cloud stood back up just as suddenly as he had crouched down, raising his voice so that even the most distant band members could easily hear him.

            "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the next 21st century Charlie Chaplin!  Please give this man your undivided attention as he _fails_ to amuse us with his _charming_ words and wit!"  Clapping loudly several times, Cloud turned to face the boy again, the surrounding band bursting into laughter as he hauled the boy up off the ground.  "Please, oh _please_ entertain us, dear Charlie!"

            "What the fuck, Cloud?"

            "If I call you gay, what will you do?"

            "WHAT?!"

            "You are _gay_, you are _homosexual_, you're about as straight as a hula-hoop!  What now?"  Thankfully, Cloud was a rather agile person and easily dodged the blow the boy attempted to swing at him before brining his hand up to slam against the other's fist, both boys locking arms against each other.  The band members, which had previously been laughing good-naturedly, suddenly drew quiet yet again as they stared up at the scene unfolding before them.  Again, Sora noticed something that everyone else seemed to miss.  Leon tensed just as the boy had drawn back his fist to hit Cloud, eyes narrowing to a glare that could freeze fire itself, as though Leon had been ready to fly forward and beat the kid to a bloody pulp.

            How very interesting.

            "Now listen closely, everyone.  I know you all hear it from Cid a million times over each and every day.  'You have to be a leader to be in my band, you gotta do better then that!  This band is full of leaders, not followers!'  Am I right?"  Cloud released the boy's fist, grinning as he looked out at the other band members who chuckled at his impersonation of Cid.  Glancing back yet again at the boy beside him, Cloud continued, "But what you all don't seem to understand is this.  Your attitude **is** your leadership.  Leon and I are higher then you in the food chain, _yes_, but if you want to follow some idiot like a bunch of _sheep_ then you don't belong near me or anyone else of some measure of integrity.

            "I can tell you right now that we look like shit.  Hah, we look _terrible_, but as we all know, we _always_ look like shit at the beginning of the season like this!  But we always get better because eventually, we all take it upon ourselves to learn what it is we're doing.  You don't have to rely on anyone else by the end of the season because you're so sure of yourself and your choices."  Pausing, Cloud chuckled, running a hand through his blond spikes.  "Yeah, yeah, well.  I hate preaching at you guys.  So I'll just say one last little thing.  **Get better**.  Aaaand that's it.  Go home, everybody!"

            As students began to filter away from the blacktop, Sora pulling himself to his feet and hesitated, unsure of what to do.  He really _should _thank Cloud and Leon for sticking up for him and everything...

            "Hey, Sora, can we talk to you a sec?" Cloud asked, leaning against one of the basket ball hoops adorning the large blacktop.  Sora glanced nervously around, hoping Riku was somewhere nearby to give him some support or _something_.  But Riku wasn't there.  Sora had almost forgotten that the older boy had a dentist appointment that afternoon and had left practice early.  Dentist appointment... great.  Wonderful.  Leave _Sora_ to handle two drum majors alone.  Besides which, as far as Sora could see, Riku's teeth were absolutely perfect to begin with.  Stupid dentists.  

            "We don't bite or anything."  Cloud laughed and Sora walked forward, leaving his flag lying on the blacktop.

            "I just wanted to make sure you were okay with everything that just sorta... happened.  Ehehe, I didn't mean to get so carried away."  Leon snorted at this, causing Cloud to scowl and elbow the brunette in the ribs.  "Ah, shuddup, Leon!"

            Sora couldn't help but chuckle.  So the drum majors really weren't the overpowering rulers of the band that many people thought they were after all.  No, it was plain as day that Cloud and Leon were humans through and through, no remarkable godly abilities granted to them or anything.  Although that might just have helped enforce their rule over the band a bit better, Sora still felt more reassured by their normalness then he probably would have felt otherwise.

            "It's fine.  Thanks for sticking up for me..."

            "Hey, no problem!  If we didn't have so many bigots willing to argue with the more open-minded crowd..."  Cloud sighed.  "There's not much we can do to change their opinions, but we can at least try and keep 'em from doing anything they'd regret.  They're not bad people, just... That's the way they were brought up, you know?"

            Sora nodded.  He _did_ understand, and he thought back to Riku's words from the night before.  Perhaps these people would change after all, and maybe when it was all over, they'd be more accepting and understanding... Maybe.

            Before he knew it, Sora asked the first question that came into his mind.  "Cloud, are you and Leon... ah... you know...?"

            Cloud blinked.  Leon blinked.  Sora felt rather awkward.  Thankfully, it was the blond who broke the unnerving silence, bursting into laughter merrily before replying.

            "Are we gay?  The two of _us_?"

            Sora nodded numbly as Cloud glanced over at Leon.  There it was again, that weird feeling that something was passing between the two that Sora just couldn't place.  Perhaps drum majors had some sort of innate gift after all.  After several brief seconds, Cloud looked back at Sora with a snicker, patting the younger boy on the head and ruffling his brown spikes of hair.

            "I dunno.  Maybe.  But what difference would it make, right?  We all want to be treated the same anyway.  No different from you and Riku, Paine and Rikku, or anyone else in this school.  We all start off from the same point, all have to go to the same place... What makes some people outcasts and others not?"  Cloud smiled and shrugged.  "Again, I don't know.  Don't think anyone does."

            "Oh."  

            "No worries though.  They'll come around eventually.  And if not..."

            "Their loss, right?"

            Cloud beamed and turned to Leon, a look of triumph spread across his face.  "See now?  I'm not completely over the top."

            "Yeah, whatever."

            "Neeeh, whatever, whatever, whatever.  Stoic bastard."  Turning back to Sora, Cloud rolled his eyes in Leon's direction mockingly.  "You get used to it after a while.  Point is, just know that you're not totally alone out there, okay, Sora?  Yeah, there's a lot of idiots on band, but there's also a lot of people cheering for you, Leon and I included!"  Sora smiled up at Cloud and said the only thing he could think of.  

"Thank you."

~~~~~~~

            Later(,) that day had Sora knocking lightly on Paine's front door, rocking back and forth on his heels, waiting anxiously in front of her door.  She'd agreed to help him polish up the routine for color guard that evening, even though she assured him that he no longer needed the extra practice sessions.  On top of that, Sora just felt like _not_ being alone, and since Bryna was out grocery shopping and Riku's parents had taken him out to dinner that night, he naturally turned to Paine, who was always there for him anyway.

            At least, he hoped so.

            Sure enough, after several moments the door was opened and the crimson eyed girl peered down at Sora, seeming somewhat annoyed at first, but instantly softening once she realized who it was at the door.  Her mind instantly clicking all the pieces together easily, she winced, shooting Sora an apologetic look, opening the door wider to usher him inside.

            "I'm sorry, Sora, I completely forgot... I was just sort of in the middle of something..."

            "Oh!  That's okay, we don't have to practice if it's too much trouble," Sora replied amiably, his eyes taking in his surroundings.  He'd never been in Paine's house before, since the offer had never seemed to come up.  All Sora really knew is that Paine's parents, much like Riku's(,) were out of town often, since they worked with large business companies situated on the mainland and had simply bought a house on Destiny Islands because of the good school system and laid back atmosphere.  So it really was no surprise for Sora to find that except for himself, Paine was completely alone inside the house.

            Rephrasing that in his mind, Sora had to correct himself.  The 'house' was more like a mansion, really.  Rich mahogany carpet covered parts of the twin staircases which spiraled up and joined together at a landing branching off from the second floor of the house, their railings polished so well that the light from the above chandelier sparkled and danced across the glossy surface.  Light hardwood floors were adorned with rather expensive looking oriental carpets scattered across the house as well as antique-looking furniture, expensive artwork... Sheesh, Sora couldn't even begin to think of how much money had gone into the house.  

            "Actually, I'm glad you came."  Sora cocked his head in question at this statement, looking up at Paine with concern.  The girl laughed and rolled her eyes, heading towards a room branching off from the main hallway, assuming Sora would follow behind.  "Don't worry, it's not like anything's wrong.  But remember that song I had in my notebook?"  Sora nodded and took a seat in the chair Paine motioned to, following the older girl with his eyes as she sat down at a piano bench and turned to face him.  

            "I've been writing out the tune that goes along with it and I'm not sure if it fits right.  Want to listen and tell me what you think?"

            "Whoa, Paine, I didn't know you could actually write notes and stuff _too_!"

            "...Of course I can, idiot.  How do you think I could write the song?"

            "I dunno, maybe they were just lyrics... You play the piano too?  Wow."

            "Piano, flute, clarinet, guitar, and even the harp."

            Sora gaped at his friend, completely amazed at how Paine could possibly be able to cram all that instrumental knowledge into her brain.  He had had enough trouble just learning how to spin a flag, and Paine did _that_ too with the ease and grace she seemed to posses for everything.  Were Paine male, Sora would've been green with envy.  But he'd come to accept the fact that some people were just naturally good at learning things and there was nothing he could do about it but enjoy what it was they turned out.  

            "Right then.  So you want to hear it or what?"

            "Of course I do!"

            "Alright then."  Paine turned her back to him, laying her fingers across the keys of the piano, seeming to pause a moment in thought.  It was then that Sora noticed that the sheets of music were laying off to the side of the piano, not directly placed in front of Paine as they should have been.  About to open his mouth to say something, Sora snapped it shut in less then a second as Paine began to play.

            Her fingers danced back and forth along the piano, taking on a jauntier motion then Sora would have expected, but the tune certainly tied in with the song he remembered well, his mind easily being able to piece together the notes with the words.  Closing his eyes, Sora allowed his mind to wander as the piano continued to play in the background.  He couldn't help but wonder why Paine took no music classes at school, choosing color guard instead.  Oh wait... With a smile, Sora remembered.  Rikku was on the guard, of course.

            No sooner had the song began, it felt as though it had ended.  Sora's eyes snapped open in surprise, only to find Paine smiling back at him, her elbows resting on her knees.

            "Put you to sleep, huh?"

            "Whoa, nononono!  It was awesome!  But why'd you stop it so soon?"

            "Sora, I've been playing for the past four minutes."

            "You have?"

            "Yep."

            "Jeeze.  Are you sure?"

            "Positive."  Reaching over, Paine picked up the sheets of music and leafed through them, running her gaze over the notes briskly.

            "Hey, how come you played without using the notes?" Sora asked, peering at the papers from his seat.

            Looking up, Paine blinked at him as though he'd asked the most ridiculous question he could've possibly thought up.  "Because it's easier to get a feel for the music, you know, to sort of get your own hold on what it _is_, when you're not trying to follow notes with your eyes.  It turns out better if you take it by feel rather then sight."

            "So you memorized the notes of the song?"

            "Yeah, pretty much."  Paine placed the papers on top of the piano.

            "Wow."

            "I'm actually going to use a guitar for the song's background, not the piano.  I only use the piano to try and get the tune out of my mind and on to paper, then the only problem is switching instruments and everything."

            "Sounds complicated."

            "Not really, once you do it a couple times."  The two sat in companionable silence for some time after that before Sora's eyes finally rested on the artfully polished grandfather clock as it began to sound the approach of seven o' clock.

            "Oh shit!"

            "What?"

            "My mom's probably home by now and wondering where the hell I am... Eeegh, and I'm late for dinner."

            Paine chuckled, standing up from the piano bench as Sora lurched to his feet, panic written all over his face.  She accompanied her frantic friend back to the front door and waved goodbye, though couldn't stop herself before the words spilled hesitantly from her mouth.

            "Sora... About what happened at practice today... Are you okay?"  Paine didn't need to point out that many people were worried about Sora, who had lived his entire life as the boy-next-door who everyone loved and cherished.  The sudden change of people's attitudes towards him... Well, Paine wouldn't have been at all surprised if Sora was just more then a little upset by it all.

            But Sora simply turned to her as he was halfway out the doorway and grinned, erasing his friend's worries as best he could.

            "I'm fine.  Trust me."  And with that he hopped down the several stairs leading up to Paine's front door and jogged around the side of her house, up to his own backyard.  

…………………………..

            Woooow.  It feels so weird not having song lyrics in a chapter.  *has been working on WIWYL for way too long*  Anyway, you were introduced to both Leon and Cloud in here and YES, I know, I went way over the top with Cloud's personality, but I love him this way.  *shrugs*  Besides, no one would get anywhere with two drum majors who rarely ever talked.  Fwahaha.  

            From here on out, Paine and company will probably only make brief appearances in the story since it will now mainly focus on Sora, Riku, their relationship, and the band as a whole.  Leon and Cloud, depending on how everyone likes them, may or may not play a larger role in the grand scheme of things.  (No, I'm NOT making it up as I go along.  *waves her chapter plans around*  Twenty chapters, people, all planned out and ready for typing!)  

            So thanks for everyone who has once again found it in their heart to pick up OftB yet again.  ^^

            Preview for chapter twelve:  Leon and Cloud aren't always going to be there to protect Sora… Mild angst, but a pleasant twist at the end you're all sure to smile about!  Two words for you:  Drag.  Queen.  *cackles*

~Ori


	12. No Style

Phew.  This poor fic has been so neglected lately...  

            Umm... I have no idea where my beta readers are.  o__o  I sent this out quite a while ago, but haven't heard from any of them.  *blinks*  *sniffs*  Hello?  Well, uh, here's the chapter.  Pardon any errors.  Ehehehe.... Longer A/N at bottom.  *bows out*

..............................................................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Twelve**

'No Style'

            Leon and Cloud's speech seemed to have some sort of impact on the band, for Sora and Riku didn't seem to have nearly as much trouble as they had before.  Even Quistis seemed to be avoiding confrontation with the two, purposely turning away every time one of them approached her.  Not that it bothered Sora in the least.  The fact that his captain wasn't on speaking terms with him only gave him more reason to seek help from Paine, who he knew for a fact was a better instructor then Quistis herself.  Rikku and Paine, who had never really had that much trouble to begin with, were now back to their old statuses regarding their fellow band members and it all looked as though nothing were any different.  Weeks went by, and although the marching band didn't become perfect, everyone agreed they were functioning better then they had been at the start of practice.

            Perhaps Leon was the only one to notice that it was all just the calm before the storm, for he continued to keep the same watchful eye on the actions of the band members whereas Cloud did not.  The blond drum major had quickly befriended both Sora and Riku and it was that friendship which probably played a large role in securing both younger boys from any more verbal onslaughts the remaining bigoted band members may have had in store for them.

            Sora was walking home one Thursday after band practice, taking his time to look up at the sky and just appreciate the pleasant weather that had rolled in.  Riku had stayed behind for sectionals and Sora probably would have stayed with him were it not for the fact that sectionals seemed to drag on _forever_.  Oh well.  Bryna had asked him to come home straight after practice anyway and Sora hadn't even bothered to ask why when he'd rushed out the door that morning.  Upon realizing his mistake, he'd been wondering why his mother had needed him back so soon all day and that curiosity was really starting to bother him.

            Rounding the corner of the block which led into the residential district of the northern part of Destiny Islands, Sora's eyes widened as he nearly collided with a dark clad figure who had just appeared out of nowhere.  Veering off to the side to avoid slamming into the man, Sora stuttered an apology, somewhat frazzled at having been jolted out of his daydreaming state so suddenly.

            "Gah!  S-sorry!  I didn't see you th--"

            "Sora, how nice to run into you like this."  Looking up at the voice, Sora frowned and cocked his head to the side, trying to get a better view of the man's face.

            "_Kosha_?"  Sora only barely remembered the senior from way back at the very first day of practice when he'd started the first of many huge arguments in the band hall revolving around Riku and Sora.  Ever since then, well, Sora had just figured the older boy had just disappeared.  

            "The one and only, Sora.  Now why don't you and I have a little talk, shall we?"

            Instinctively taking a step backwards, Sora found himself firmly held in place by two strong pairs of hands securing his own arms at his sides.  Sora's mind nearly froze over in terror.  How had he gotten himself into this mess?!  He hadn't even done anything wrong!  Scrambling frantically for some hold on the ground, Sora let out a yelp as his captors lifted him from the sidewalk with ease and carted the spiky haired boy towards an alleyway several feet away, Kosha's hand sliding over Sora's mouth, reducing his noise to mere muffled shouts.

            "Now, now, Sora.  I hope you don't mind that I brought a few friends along..."

            Snapping his teeth suddenly, Sora clamped his jaws down on Kosha's fingers as hard as he possibly could, the older boy swearing loudly and jerking his hand away from Sora as the two goons behind him released his arms, letting him fall rather painfully to the floor of the alleyway.  No sooner had Sora's dazed mind realized that he was no longer held captive and tried to persuade his legs to get him off the ground did Sora feel a sudden burst of pain in his ribs as Kosha snarled, kicking out at the boy sprawled across the ground.

            Letting out a sharp cry of pain, Sora recoiled, wrapping his arms around his abused chest, curling up as fast as he could to avoid any more pain.  But the pain just wouldn't stop.  More blows were unleashed upon Sora's body, the cinnamon haired teenager left to simply close his eyes and allow it to happen.

            Was it because they didn't like him?

            What had Sora done that was so wrong?

~~~~~~~

            "Alright, Leon, let's try another.  Assuming that pi is 3.14 and the--  Leon?  Le-on.  My trig homework isn't gonna do itself."  Cloud pouted, looking over at his friend who's attention was obviously elsewhere.  Honestly, every time he managed to get the brown haired drum major alone, he was always so cold and stoic.  

            _Stodgy old bastard.__  Hmpf.  _Cloud rolled his eyes and continued walking along the sidewalk as Leon stopped dead in the center, not moving.  Cloud _should_ have driven to school that morning, but _nooo_, he just _had_ to listen to Leon when he wanted to _walk_ home that afternoon.  'Let's enjoy the weather, Cloud!'  Well, alright, so it had actually been a little more like 'I'm walking.  Come if you want.'  Grrr.

            Leon shook his head, shooting a glare at Cloud before pulling the smaller boy to a halt, jerking his head towards a group of teenagers gathering up ahead of them and across the street.  Squinting his eyes, Cloud was able to make out two faces he instantly recognized and which also instantly told him that something was terribly wrong.

            Sora and... Kosha?  

            "Oh shit!"  Cloud continued swearing vividly as he saw the other two boys appear and take hold of Sora, dragging the younger boy into a nearby alley.  Without a second thought, the blonde sprinted out into the street, nearly causing a three car pileup in the process, not to mention the fiery tempers of the rush-hour's drivers as they all made their way home for the evening.  Just who the hell did that kid think he was?  Superman?  

            Regardless of the fact that tons of metal were speeding towards them, both Leon and Cloud darted hurriedly across the asphalt, Leon having chased after Cloud no sooner had he ran out into the busy street.  Sneakers pounding loudly against concrete, the drum majors ran up the sidewalk before turning sharply into the alleyway, eyes narrowing into glares as they saw the scene unfolding before them there.

            "What's a matter, Sora?  Not so brave now that you don't have your fucking friends around you to stick up for you?  Fucking fag--"  Whatever sour speech Kosha had been delivering was cut off by Leon's fist as it made contact with the boy's jaw, sending him toppling over onto the floor with a sickening crunch which no doubt promised broken bones and a rainbow of a bruise to look at.

            Cloud leapt into the fray as well, kicking one of Kosha's friends painfully in the side, causing him to join his leader splayed out across the ground next to poor Sora.  All it took to get rid of the third boy way one of Leon's glares of death and the boy was sent scampering off out of the alley as though his very life depended on it.  Which it probably did, at that point.

            "Sora!" Cloud exclaimed, kneeling down next to the younger boy who was visably shaking, tears streaming down his cheeks in crystal-clear rivers.  

            "Cloud?"

            "Sora, what happened?  Are you okay?  Shit!  Those bast--"

            "Cloud."

            The blonde turned to look up at Leon, who was, in turn, scowling down at Kosha and his friend, who still lay on the ground, staring up at him in fear.  "What is it, Leon?"

            "Why not take Sora out of here while I have a small talk with Kosha and his friend here."  It wasn't a question by any means, and Cloud didn't miss that fact.  In a heartbeat, he was helping Sora to his feet and guiding the younger boy out of the alleyway, casting only one glance over his shoulder as Leon crossed his arms and began addressing the boys at his feet, though spoke too softly for Cloud to be able to make out his words.  No matter, though.  It was more important to take care of Sora at the moment.

            "Sora, which way is your house?"

            Slowly being drawn back into reality, Sora blinked numbly at Cloud as though the blonde had asked him which way it was to the moon.  "I can't go _there_.  My mom'll flip if she sees me like this."  After thinking about it a moment, Cloud saw that the boy was obviously right.  Anyone's mother would go ballistic at seeing their son walk through the front door, clothes partly torn, lip bleeding, and covered with dirt and countless bruises.  

            So Cloud did the next best thing he could think of on such short notice.  

~~~~~~~

            "Alright, Sora, what kind of ice cream do you want?"  No one ever said that people who had recently been beaten to a pulp didn't like ice cream.  And Sora had already had stopped in the ice cream parlor's bathroom, cleaning himself up as best he could.  With the exception of a few colorful bruises dotted along his jaw, arms, and left eye, Cloud figured the younger boy was faring pretty well considering the afternoon he'd had.  Well, at least, Sora was faring as well as anyone could while being so miserable.

            "Um... Cloud, I dunno if I--"

            "Rum raisin's your favorite, right?"

            "Right, but--"

            "Right then!  We'll have one chocolate chip cookie dough cone and one rum raisin cone, please."

            Obviously listening to Sora complain that he _didn't_ feel up to ice cream at the moment was not high on Cloud's list of priorities as he paid for the cones and led Sora over towards a small booth in the ice cream parlor, resting his elbows on the table and lapping away at the ice cream on his cone.  Even in his battered state, Sora wasn't about to turn down his favorite kind of ice cream right there in front of him, and the younger boy soon followed suit.  

            After a few moments of silence between the two of them, Cloud finally spoke up quietly.  

            "So what happened?"  

            Sora blinked at the boy and shrugged, turning his attention back towards his ice cream.

            "I was just walking home and they showed up."

            "They say anything?"

            "Same old, same old.  They hate my guts, Cloud.  I don't even know why.  They act like I'm some sort of flaming gay drag queen who's out to destroy everyone else's morals or something.  But I'm not..."  Sora didn't even make a face as he realized he'd accidentally allowed a raisin to slip into his mouth and bite down on it.  Poor raisin... 

            _Rather then just eating everything like Riku was doing, Sora carefully pried the raisins free of the ice cream, shoving them off away from it.  "I mean... When you think about it, aren't raisins really just humiliated grapes?  They used to be these great, big, sweet and juicy grapes... But... Now they're all shriveled and just look so... lifeless.  It's like everything that used to make them full and happy was just taken away from them."_

_            Riku blinked, his spoon of rum raisin ice cream still only halfway to his mouth.  Looking down at the raisins nestled in the ice cream, Riku winced, placing the spoon back in the bowl and nudging the raisins out of the ice cream.  "Wow.  Never thought about it like that, Sora."_

_            Sora sighed sadly.  "Yeah, it's a shame about raisins."_

_            "Yeah."_

            Sora was snapped back out of his memory as Cloud's voice spoke up, the blonde grinning mischievously, blue eyes dancing merrily.  

            "So why not prove it to 'em?"

            "Huh?"

            "Listen, Sora.  You're gonna have to prove a lot to them, even though you already have.  I dunno why, but you just do.  You are gay, yes, but you're just Sora.  So _prove_ to them you're not some flaming drag queen out to destroy their morals!"

            "Uh... I'm not following.  How exactly would I go about doing that?"

            "Oh, I've got plans...  Don't you worry about it, Sora, because I think I've got just the solution to all our problems.  The final plan that'll get it aaaaall 'straightened' out."  Cloud laughed at his own joke as he polished off his ice cream cone and stood up from the booth, anxious to hunt down Leon and tell him about his brilliant scheme.

~~~~~~~

            Several hours later, Sora made his way through the front door of his home as quietly as possible, hoping to prolong Bryna's outburst for as long as he could.  It was six thirty by the time he'd made it home, after first stopping off at Cloud's house and cleaning up a bit.  At least he wasn't the filthy mess he'd been earlier...

            "Sora!  Where on earth have you been?!"

            So much for prolonging the outburst.

            "I just... I fell down the stairs on my way out of school and got a little banged up.  But I'm fine now..."  Well, no one could say the lie wasn't exactly believable.  Sora was often falling down stairs and walking into things, so it sounded pretty good in his mind.  

            Bryna appeared in the kitchen as Sora was preparing a peanut butter sandwich for himself, trying to make a fast job of it and disappear into his room before further questioning from Bryna could follow.  With a sudden jolt, Sora remembered that Bryna had wanted him home on time for something...  He'd completely forgotten, of course.  That was probably why she was so upset.

            "Uhh... What was it you needed me home for, Mom?" Sora asked warily as he turned to look at Bryna.  Surprisingly enough, she didn't look angry at all.  Just... what was it?  Sora couldn't really place a finger on the expression his mother wore.

            "Come here, Sora."  Bryna pulled Sora closer, leaning forward and examining one of the bruises coloring the side of his jaw.  Her blue eyes traveled up to his split lip, down to another bruise on his forearm, all before coming back to make eye contact with her only son.  "You fell down?"

            "...Yeah."

            Bryna was quiet for a moment before releasing Sora and tucking her hands back into the pockets of her apron.  "That was quite a fall."  What was with this sudden mood swing in Bryna?  Where was Sora's normally perky and bouncy mother?  

            "Everything okay m--?"

            "Your father called this morning while you were still asleep.  He wants you to go visit him, Sora."

            "W...Wha?"  Sora blinked numbly at Bryna, leaning backwards against the counter for support.  He honestly felt he was going to fall right over on the kitchen floor if he didn't do so.  

            Sora hadn't ever really been on good terms with his father.  He could never really understand what Bryna could have possibly seen in him in the first place and Sora didn't hesitate to make his opinion well-known.  His father was the typical businessman who's life revolved around cash flow and material items and he probably had a new Rolex watch every other month.  The idea of spending two hours alone with his father, let alone an actual visit, just terrified Sora to no ends.

            "He really wants to see you Sora."  Bryna gave him a small smile, but it was easy to see that she was distressed by the whole thing.  Not one word about seeing Bryna herself, but only their son.  Sora's father sure knew how to handle his ex-wife.

           "Well I don't exactly want to see him."  Sora narrowed his eyes slightly, even though he knew it wasn't Bryna's fault.  She was just delivering a message and doing her best to be a good mother.  But Sora had just had a _really_ bad day and he didn't want to deal with it.  "Besides, I'm going on the band trip soon anyway, I'll be gone doing that."  Inwardly, Sora congratulated himself on a good excuse.  The trip was only three weeks away, after all, so Sora was going to be way too busy to bother with a parent he'd rather not see.

            "That's just it, though.  You're all going up to the mainland, remember?  You pass right through your dad's town and..."

            "Mom, I'm not going."  Sora tried not to sound angry, he really did.  But he was tired of bad things happening that day and all he really wanted to do at that moment was eat his stupid peanut butter sandwich.  Maybe talk to Riku.  But the peanut butter sandwich would have to come first.  So with that, Sora turned and, with his sandwich in hand, ascended the stairs to the second story of the house, closing his bedroom door behind him.

            Sheesh.  The entire world just seemed to want to tear him apart that day.  Sora walked over towards his desk, jabbing a button with his thumb to turn his computer on before nibbling idly at his sandwich.  Looking out the window, Sora sighed, noticing that the sun was nearly gone and Paine wasn't outside in her backyard for Sora to go talk to.  She was probably working on that song of hers...  Sora couldn't help but continue to wonder why Paine didn't participate more in the music program at school.  Color guard was one thing, but from what Sora could see, the older girl belonged in more advanced music courses, composing and creating songs.  

            But it was her life.  Paine probably knew what she was doing.  She always did.

            Turning back towards his computer, Sora polished off his sandwich and pulled his chair up to his desk.  After several moments, Sora soon found himself online, though he couldn't really figure out why.  The internet was just sort of a mind-numbing tool Sora used when there was no one around to talk to.  It usually amazed him how quickly the hours seemed to go by when seated in front of a computer screen.

            Sora raised an eyebrow at his mailbox, noticing that he had some unread mail.  It wasn't exactly like Sora received emails all that often.  Most people in such a close-knit island community kept in touch on the phone or simply in person.  Nonetheless, he opened the mailbox and double clicked on the email, opening a new window with only several lines of text.

            _From:  BusterSeven@aol.com_

_            To:  antidark02@aol.com _

_            Sora--_

_                        Check the band website.  'Spirit Week' starts Monday._

            The note was followed by a link which Sora clicked on out of curiosity, though he had already assumed that BusterSeven was Cloud.  Weird screen name, but oh well.  As the page loaded, Sora read the contents of the web page, his eyes lazily skimming over the screen.  

            _'Spirit Week--  Several weeks before the band trip, the entire band has a tradition of dressing in "unique" ways for an entire week to get ourselves geared up and into competition mode!  Below are the days and themes of dress for the week of April 6th-April 11th.'_

_            Monday - Pajama Day.  _

            _Tuesday - GQ Day.___

_            Wednesday - Cartoon Heroes._

_            Thursday - Sweet and Sour Day._

Sora rolled his eyes.  Yes, yes, he was familiar with the whole 'Spirit Week' ordeal.  All of this was just typical stuff.  Why did Cloud make it sound so important.  But no sooner had Sora thought this did he look down and read the last of the schedule.

            _Friday - Crossdressing Day.___

Oh dear.

~~~~~~~

            A sailor suit?  Well, that's what Sora got for allowing Rikku to play dress up with him again.  Actually, the skirt was a bit short, the socks were a bit long, and the shirt a bit tight, but Sora could deal.

            The second Sora walked through the doors to the school building, eyes were fixated on him with no sign of leaving anytime soon.  Paine and Rikku had assembled themselves on either side of Sora, linking arms with the younger boy and escorting him through the hallway as though on parade.  It didn't take too long for the school to figure out what was going on, because the three of them weren't alone.

            No, just as Cloud had promised, the drag races had an amazing turnout.  There were boys in sundresses, three-inch heels, mid-riff revealing tops, and hip hugging flairs.  Girls paraded about in collared shirts with ties, slacks, dress shoes... others wore the baggy shorts and sandals most of the boys on the island wore.  Everywhere Sora looked there were throngs of people laughing and joking about their own style, modeling their ridiculous looks with such poise.  

            "Sora!"  Cloud approached, decked out in a blue skirt and white blouse, dragging behind him a scowling Leon.  Though Leon didn't appear to be as much 'in the spirit' as others, Cloud had somehow managed to get him to wear a rather frilly pink shirt that Sora was finding a difficult time containing his laughter about.  

            "Look at this!  See?  I told you this was gonna work!"  Cloud grinned evilly, turning to the crowded hallways of the high school, again surveying his fine work.  "Hah!  I wouldn't be surprised if a good handful of these guys actually _like_ wearing skirts and tight shirts."  Cloud laughed heartily, obviously delighted that his plan had carried through just as well as he'd hoped.  Sora couldn't help but laugh along as well as they made their way towards the band hall.

            "Riku?!"  Sora soon found himself gawking at the silver haired boy whom he assumed was indeed his boyfriend.

            Thigh length black socks.

            Black platform combat boots.

            Red plaid mini-skirt, black tank top, black chocker, a touch of familiar eyeliner...  

            Sora was positive that Paine and Rikku had somehow played a part in Riku's ensemble as well.  

            "Hey, Sora!"  Riku flashed the younger boy a grin, relishing Sora's amazed expression.  He could be so cute when he was lost for words.  "Cute outfit."  Needless to say, that Friday was quite possibly one of the most eventful days Sora would stumble across in a long time.  By the time the final bell rang and the band was assembled on the blacktop, everyone was in high spirits, merrily poking fun at each other and just having a good time.  Several people even flocked towards Sora and Riku, rambling off questions at random.  

            "Sora, have you ever cross-dressed before?"

            "Uh, no."

            "Riku, did you put your makeup on yourself?"

            "Nope."

            "Hmpf!  And you guys call yourselves gay!"

            Both boys exchanged glanced and replied in unison, "Yup."

            "But how are you any different from--"  The girl was abruptly cut off from her question as Cloud tackled her into and hug, grinning from ear to ear.

            "Yes!  I'm so proud!  Yeees!  Finally, one of you airheads got it!  They're **no** different, are they?  Hahaha!"  From the perspective of anyone who wasn't a member of the band, Cloud would have seemed to be a raving lunatic.  But everyone around the group burst into laughter, clapping for his over-dramatic performance.  It was working, there was no doubt about it.

            Everyone's laughter slowly trickled into silence as a familiar figure appeared in the crowd, causing Cloud's expression to harden slightly.

            Kosha had been left with a warning that if he stepped out of line even only once more, he would be kicked off the band.  From the look of it, ever since his run in with the drum majors over the weekend, Kosha's attitude hadn't exactly improved any.  He was still dressed in his normal clothes, as were his two cronies standing behind him, arms folded across their chests, standing on a defensive stance as though just daring Cloud to try coming after them again.  Cloud himself would probably have taken great pleasure in bashing the living daylights out of all three of them, but Leon would probably object.  The brunette could be like that sometimes.  Honestly, Cloud would never understand Leon's whole fixation with justice.  _Don't fight until you absolutely have to... Right, right right.  But there's also 'fight the good fight.'  Can't forget that little saying._  Cloud smirked as he strolled over towards the trio, though he probably didn't look very imposing in his feminine attire.

            Obviously, skirt or no skirt, Cloud's power as drum major still held firm as he mimicked the position of the three, folding his arms over his chest.  Leon stood off to the side with Sora and Riku, more then ready to jump in if Kosha even so much as _looked_ at Cloud in the wrong way, though Leon simply wanted to see how Cloud handled the whole situation.  It was obvious to anyone that the blonde had something in mind...

            "Kosha.  You didn't dress up for our spirit day.  Something wrong?"

            "You actually thought I'd dress like a girl?  Hell, Strife, I thought you had more brains then that."

            "And I thought you had the brains to know that we're all supposed to participate in Spirit Week."  Cloud paused, smirking as he continued, "Besides.  It's _fun_.  Oh well though.  You missed out."

            "Missed out?  Hah!  Missed out on parading around the school like some homo?  Oh yeah, I sure missed out there."  Kosha snorted, rolling his eyes.  "You look like a fucking faggot, Cloud.  Maybe there really is something you're not telling us."

            Cloud simply grinned and uncrossed his arms.  There was definitely _something_ going through his mind, but what was it?

            "Aaaand that's a lap for showing immense disrespect towards your upperclassman and drum major.  Hop to it, Kosha, we've got a practice session to start!"

            Kosha merely scoffed at the punishment and turned towards the far end of the blacktop, about to head off towards the edge of the asphalt to start his lap.  Turning his head over his shoulder, Kosha spat, "Is that all you can do Cloudy?  Give laps?  Pretty pathetic."

            "You're right, Kosha.  So here's an idea."  Cloud strode over towards the other boy and suddenly lowered his voice so that the conversation was only between he and Kosha.  Leon scowled, leaning forward slightly and trying to pick up a word or two, but he got nothing.  The entire band was clueless as to what passed between the two boys, but when Kosha looked up, his face was expression could be easily described with one word alone.

            Mortified.  

            As Leon studied Cloud's smug grin and the band studied Kosha's reaction to whatever Cloud's words had been, every eye eventually drifted towards Kosha as he reached the edge of the blacktop and began to run his lap.

            Only he wasn't... _running_ it.  

            Kosha was _skipping_.

            After five skips forward, Kosha leaped and words came out of his mouth, though the band could hardly pick them up since they were laughing so hard.  What the hell was going on?  Cloud simply smirked, placing his hands on his hips and shouting at the top of his lungs, "LOUDER, Kosha!  We can't HEAR you!"

            Skip, skip, skip, skip, skip.

            "I'm... I'm a pretty princess!"  Flying leap.  

            "LOUDER, Kosha!  Louder!  And put more prance in your step!"  The entire band was now nearly falling over from laughter, Sora leaning against Riku for support, worried that he might collapse onto the blacktop otherwise.  Several people did just that, sitting on the ground with a thud as they clutched their sides, laughing and pointing at Kosha.  Even _Leon_ found himself chuckling at the whole scene.  It was rather hard not to.

            Was it harsh?  Oh yes.  Cloud knew it was.  

            ...Skip, skip.

            "_I'm a pretty princess!_"

            And so it was that Pretty Princess Laps became the newest threat added to the manual for drum majors; compliments of Cloud Strife.

~~~~~~~

            That evening, Sora finally found himself walking across his backyard into Paine's own yard, delighted to find the older girl seated on her green lawn chair, notebook open on her lap and pen in hand, scribbling something down.  Paine looked up as Sora approached, a grin spreading across her face at the sight of her friend.

            "Sora!  So how was practice today?"

            The spiky haired boy chuckled as he plopped down on the ground beside Paine, leaning back on his hands.  

            "Absolutely hilarious.  I almost felt sorry for Kosha!"

            "Yeah, well, don't bother.  He's not worth the pity."  Paine smirked and closed her notebook, standing up from the lawn chair, instantly causing Sora to pout.

            "What?  You're leaving?  But I haven't talked to you in forever!"

            Smiling, the crimson eyed girl bent down and ruffled Sora's spikes of hair playfully before standing back up and sighing.  "I have to go pick my parents up from the airport.  Trust me, I'd much rather stay here with you.  Only I have a feeling they won't be too happy with me if they're stuck there for hours because I don't come to get 'em."

            "Can't they take a taxi?"

            Paine snorted.  "Like my parents would ever allow themselves to be carried around in a taxi.  They're too stuck up for that."  Another sigh followed this statement before Paine continued, "But I'll catch up with you as soon as I can, okay?  I promise.  I've been busy lately..."

            "With the song?" Sora asked hopefully.  He really did want to hear the finished project, whenever Paine actually did finish it.

            Paine grinned and nodded.  "Yeah, the song..."  Almost as an afterthought, Paine tossed her notebook towards Sora as she turned towards the door to her house.  "Hey Sora, it's yours."

            "What?!"  

            "It's.  Yours."  The girl chuckled at Sora's shocked face.  He knew it meant a lot to Paine, especially because the little notebook held all of her lyrics and ideas for music... How could she just give it up?  Almost as though she could read his mind, Paine said, "I think you should have it... I want you to have it.  Write stuff down in it, whatever."  She smiled as she opened the back door towards her house, the back of her mind again reminding her how much she smiled now.  Now that she had Rikku... Now that she had friends like Yuffie, Yuna, and Sora.  It was all good now.  

            "But... What will I write in it?" Sora asked forlornly.

            "Write about you, Sora.  Don't you think your story is interesting?"  Before closing the door behind her, Paine shot her friend a smirk and said, "This whole thing... Wouldn't it make a good story?"  And the door closed gently behind her, leaving Sora holding the precious notebook loosely in his hands. 

            Huh.  He hadn't really thought about it that much.  Sora snickered softly, pulling himself up from the ground as he shook his head and made his way back up to his own house.  Sora's life making a good story?  Yeah right.

........................................................................................................

            Phew.  Things have been absolutely hectic lately.  *falls over*  BUT guess what I did?  I got an LJ.  You can now actually choose whether or not you want to hear me babble on mindlessly.  XD  So here's the URL...  and poke fun at me.  Ehehehe...  Anyway, to make a long story short, yes, this was sent out several days ago.  I just decided to post it now because I got no notice from any beta-readers, so if they're reading this, I'm soooorrrrryyyy.  

            That said, Pretty Little Boy will get another update soon.  The only reason OftB has slowed to a crawl is that I'm trying to stall.  (Rhyming... geh.)  Yes, stall.  I need to go on the band trip (April 21st- 25th) in order to get ideas and information.  Basically, the last fourth of the fic occurs during this trip.  Ehehehe.  So in the meantime, chew over PLB.  'Tis somewhat depressing, but have a little faith in me.  ^^

~Ori


	13. Cinnamon Lips

            Well, my rough outline for this chapter only gave me a few things I had to get done in order to keep the plot on schedule.  So I've decided to treat everyone to some Leon/Cloud fun!  Yay!  *beams*

            Oh yes, and the A/N at the bottom of the chapter is mildly important, if you'd care to take a look after your read.  Enjoy!

............................................................................................................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Thirteen**

'Ci-ci-ci--What?'  (Side story?)

_April 27--_

_            Okay, so Paine gave me this notebook, right?  Riiiight.  I don't know what on earth I'm supposed to write in it.  Is it supposed to be like a journal?  Why would I want to ruin Paine's notebook by writing stupid crap in it?  _

_            See?  It's already happening._

_            ..._

_            ...._

_            I honestly don't know how to use this thing._

_            ..._

_            ...._

_            My pencil just broke._

_            ... Maybe that's why Riku always writes with pens._

_            Oh!  I can write about Riku!  _

_            ... No, not really.  He's awesome, what else can I say?  _

_            That's probably the main reason I don't want to go visit my dad.  Other then the fact that he's a total self-centered bastard and all, he probably doesn't know I'm gay.  He probably wouldn't want to find out anyway, and if I was forced to visit, chances are I'd somehow manage to let something slip.  Mom says I should give him a chance.  I say he should just forget about it._

_            I'm going over to Riku's house tonight to work on my geometry homework.  _

_            Mom's convinced I'm going to return home without my virginity._

_            She's so weird._

~~~~~~~

            Cloud let out another aggravated sigh, his blonde hair sticking up at an odd angle as he leaned against the window of the car.  Driving with Leon was quite possibly the most boring thing he could ever imagine getting stuck doing.  There was no music, there was no talking, there was no speeding, no broken rules...  Just that consistent whirr of the engine of the car, pushing the heavy machine forward as though is were merely a toy.  

            "Le-onnnn..."

            "What?"  Well, at least he didn't sound too aggravated.

            "Why do I have to come with you to reserve all the damn boat tickets?"  Cloud seemed to think about his own words for a moment before scowling.  "What's more, why didn't Cid get the tickets himself?  We're drum majors, not teachers!"

            Leon simply rolled his eyes as he made a left turn, plunging both teenagers into the most urban location Destiny Islands had to offer.  Office buildings and apartment complexes jutted up abruptly from the concrete ground, puncturing the sky's veil rather unceremoniously, shopping centers springing up everywhere Cloud looked.  The whole thing reminded him of some sick and disturbing strip mall wasteland from hell.  

            What was it doing on Destiny Islands anyway?

            Cloud had been so busy thinking to himself that he'd almost completely missed Leon's response, and hadn't even realized it until he'd been drawn back into reality by the brunette's voice.  Come on, that voice could drag Satan himself back out of hell.  

            "I told Cid we'd take care of it because he has his own issues to deal with.  He's booking hotels and finishing up his practice sessions with the soloists...  Besides, you know you weren't doing anything today."

            Cloud frowned, rolling his blue eyes skyward.  "I'm sure I could've come up with _something_ if I'd have known I'd be spending my day driving around with the human statue.  Ya know, Leon, for all that you're stone, you sure don't have a lead foot at all.  Can't you go any faster?"

            "Speed in your own car, Strife.  I'd rather not get a ticket today, thanks."

            The blonde groaned, gritting his teeth together viciously to keep from snapping again at Leon.  Arguing with the other drum major was like trying to argue with a banana peel.  There was absolutely no logic to doing it whatsoever.  

            "_C-c-c-cinnamon lips and candy kisses on my tongue!  _

_            B-b-b-buttery lies, if only cries could come from those eyes...  _

_            Have you landed yet and if so would you let me know?_

_            I'm tired of looking up into those starry eyes."_

            "What the hell are you listening to, Cloud?"  Leon made a face and actually looked away from the stoplight ahead of him, turning to give the blonde a pointed glare.

            However, rather then buckling under the force of the brunette's death glare, Cloud simply shock his friend a devious smirk, cranking the volume knob on the car's radio around, blaring music through the speakers and singing loudly along.

_            "Does it rain where you are, does it snow?_

_            And if so, remind me not to go there._

_            The weather effects my knee._

_            I've ne-ver felt this way be--"_

Cloud scowled as the radio was song was cut off mid-verse, a rather peeved looking Leon now clutching at the steering wheel as he navigated his way around the downtown area, searching for a parking spot as close to the docks as he could find.  

            _Alright, __Leon__, you want to make this difficult?  I'll make it difficult._

            "You know, my dad told me this interesting story the other night.  You know that president..?  Old what's-his-face?  Ah, you know, that _guy_.  With that little Scottie dog.  Roosevelt!  Yeah, that's the one.  Anyway, he was talking about planning some mission or something with a bunch of his high-and-mighty buddies and one of them started crying because a friend of his had died in a recent attack.  They were showing pictures of the attack on the country and everything at the meeting, so it figures the poor guy couldn't handle it.  So the president nods and lets the guy leaves, and the meeting eventually starts to disband, but he holds this one other guy back and just says, 'Now I know why the boys all called him Betty.'  Don't you think that was mean of him, Leon?  My dad told me that and it just ruined my day.  I can't believe that the idiots who run the world could be so cold-hearted and...  Leon?  Um... Leon?  You can't park here, it's illegal."

            "The car.  Get.  Out.  Of.  The.  Car."

            "He-ey, what are you talking about?  Oh, come on, Leon, grow a spine already, I was just joking!  I'll shut up, seriously!"

            "Out."

            "Leon!"

            But the next thing Cloud knew, he was standing on the sidewalk of the city, watching moodily as Leon's car moved back into the lane of traffic.  Oddly enough, Cloud didn't feel at all panicked.  More like just plain old depressed.  

            The city surrounding him seemed cold and unforgiving, and all Cloud saw as he walked along the streets was his reflection staring back at him through store windows.  He didn't take notice of the hordes of people moving about him and he ignored the rude comments flung his way as businessmen and workers of all ages bustled past him.  Everyone had places to be and things to do.  There was no time for the random blonde kid who had just lost his ride home because he was trying to be friendly.

            _Okay, let's face it.  I was trying to be more then friendly..._  But as usual, Cloud's plans had backfired.  It was as though every time he got Leon alone, and every time he knew exactly what to say and do... It was just like it all flitted away just when the right moment had presented itself.  

            Cloud groaned and plopped down on a bench, alone, as usual.  Glancing at the bus schedule on the post beside him, it looked as though Cloud was in for an hour long wait.  Great.  Just fucking great.

            Had he really done anything all that wrong?

~~~~~~~

            Leon walked out of the small building perched by the docks, running a hand through dark brown tendrils of hair and letting out a deep sigh.  Booking the tickets on the boat had been no problem.  He now had all the needed paperwork and everything was perfect.  Then again, if someone gave Leon a job, they were almost always assured a perfect outcome.

            Perfect, perfect, perfect.

            If Leon was so perfect, why did he feel so guilty?

            It really wasn't all that hard to figure.

            Making his way back towards his car, Leon continued fabricating excuses to satisfy his own conscience, which had been nagging him since he'd kicked Cloud out of the car only forty minutes ago.

            _It probably would've taken twice as long if he'd come along._

_            **So then why did I bring him with me in the first place?**_

****_Because Cloud needs to learn some responsibility.__  Obviously he's just not ready to handle anything yet other then changing radio stations and being a general dumbass._

_            **A loveable dumbass.******_

****Leon grit his teeth together stubbornly as he buckled his seatbelt and started the car.  He wasn't guilty.  Of course not.  After all, it wasn't like it was Leon's fault that Cloud was just immature.  How had the blonde managed to become a drum major anyway?  Leon was the one who did all the work.  It was _Leon_ who spent all the time after school practicing and working his ass off.  All Cloud did was...  Well, all Cloud did was...

            Okay, all Cloud did was watch Leon.  

            And it was obvious to anyone that Cloud had had a crush on the other boy since, oh, probably his freshman year.  It was obvious, and still Leon kept denying it.  Cloud watched him because he didn't know what he himself was doing.  He was just confused, so he watched Leon so he could learn from him.  Lots of people did it, why not Cloud?

            _"__Leon__!"_

_            "What?"_

_            "Hey, wait up already!  Jeeze, I've been chasing you down for the past two blocks.  You okay?" _

_            "Yeah."_

_            "So...  Whaddya think about Riku and Sora?"_

_            "What about them?"_

_            "Hey, you gotta admire their guts.  I mean, you know, standing up against everyone like that."_

_            "I think you were the one who stood up for them, Cloud."_

_            "Well someone had to do something!  ...But I think they just handle it pretty well.  ...Don't you?"_

_            "Yeah, whatever."_

_            "Uncaring bastard."_

_            "Huh?"_

_            "Nevermind."_

Leon did not feel guilty.  Leon never felt guilty, nor did he apologize.  Mostly because he did not screw things up.  He got them right the first time around and there were no redo's.  Cloud would just have to fix this himself.

            _"Now what do you want?"_

_            "Nothing...  Why do you always think I want something?"_

_            "Because you always do."_

_            "You're right.  I do want something."_

_            "Well then what is it, Strife?"_

_            "...Um... Nevermind."_

Leon hated that word.  Nevermind.  It was so vague and... and it always seemed to cut conversation off.  But then again, Leon didn't much care for conversation.  

            _"Haha!__  We did it!  Drum majors Leon and Cloud here to wreck havoc upon local high school's marching band!  Yay!"_

_            "Get off me."_

Leon was jolted out of his thoughts as he heard a nearby driver cursing at him loudly.  Wait a minute, since when was Leon pulled over at the side of the street?  He must have just zoned out while driving...  It had never happened before, but there's always a first time for everything.  

            And before Leon could pull back into the lane of traffic, he looked up and happened to catch a patch of blonde hair contrasting sharply against the brown and gray hues of the city.  

            Cloud, of course. 

           The blonde was sitting on a bench, arms crossed in front of him, head tilted and leaning against the back of the bench, staring up at the sky.  His gaze wasn't wistful, it wasn't longing.  The look in his eyes was not one of despair or grief.  It was just a look and nothing more.  Cloud was observing, he wasn't looking at or for anything in particular.  

            Well, duh.  Cloud wasn't exactly going to find what he was looking for in the sky.  What he was looking for was only ten yards away and he didn't even realize it.  

And then the rain started to fall from the sky, but the sun was still shining.  Even the sky denies the rain, forcing the sun to shine on through it.  But the rest of the world can feel the rain...  Why bother trying to conceal it by forcing light right on though?  A little rain must fall in every life, right?

The bus pulled past Leon's car, drawing to a sluggish pace and pulling to a stop in front of Cloud's bench, now surrounded by more people all rushing to form a rough line in front of the bus.  All except Cloud, who slowly pulled himself up from the bench as though he were walking towards his own death.  And Leon could definitely feel something was wrong.  And it wasn't just the sun and rain sharing the same sky.

~~~~~~~

            _I remember the first time I saw Riku pick up that stupid instrument.  I really shouldn't call it stupid.  He loves the trumpet, you know.  (I hope he loves me more!)  _

_            But he looked so happy and sure of himself even though I bet he had no clue what he was doing.  Riku's the only person who can seem to do that... You know, make decisions and not bother with second chances.  He doesn't need them anyway._

~~~~~~~

            "Cloud!"  Leon was going insane, he knew it.

            He'd known it from the moment he had lunged out of his car, the craziest thoughts running through his mind a mile a minute.  What would Leon do if something happened to Cloud?  If the bus got in an accident and he never saw Cloud again?  What would he do if he didn't have another chance?  

            Cloud couldn't hear Leon's voice, lost amidst the patter of rain hitting the concrete and the loud droning of voices and cars combined, the typical urban orchestra at work.  Hand grasping the cold metal railing, he numbly stepped up into the bus.  

            Perhaps Leon wasn't coming after all.

            ~~~~~~~

            _He had a solo one year.  Well, okay, it wasn't a solo.  He and three other trumpeters played it at a blitzball game.  I can't remember the name of it...  But I think it was something like the Fire Dance.  Whatever it was, I guess that was when I realized just how good Riku was.  _

_            He does something a lot of people don't do.  He actually puts feeling into whatever music he plays.  You can tell by the way he looks when he plays...  It's like he could stay there for the rest of his life and he would be okay.  It would all be fine if Riku got his trumpet and if he could just play._

~~~~~~~

            "**_Cloud_**!!"

            ~~~~~~~

            _I hope that confidence Riku has never leaves._

~~~~~~~

            Leon's feet hit the sidewalk, but he didn't stop running.  Everyone was on the bus, they were going to close the doors.  And to add more evidence to Leon's growing belief that he was losing his mind, the only thing he could think of was the old little nursery rhyme.

            Run, run, run as fast as you can...

            Come on, Leon.  Just a few more steps.  That door won't close without you.  Cloud won't leave without you because Cloud is always there.  He will never leave.  

            ~~~~~~~

            _I sound like such a lovesick puppy._

~~~~~~~

            But the door did close.  In Leon's mind he was fast enough, he opened the door and he pulled Cloud out of there, bringing him back where he belonged.  Bringing Cloud back to Leon.  But Leon's didn't imagine things the way they turned out, and he was shocked to find the metallic sides of the bus pulling away right in front of his eyes, carrying Cloud inside.

            What if something happened?

            Had things really gotten to the point where Leon was going to be uneasy if Cloud was ever out of his sight?

            Didn't Cloud need to learn to be responsible?

            Not without Leon, he didn't.

            ~~~~~~~

            _But come on, I mean, get real.  It's pretty damn obvious. _

~~~~~~~

            And perhaps if Leon had been more willing, he could've made it to the next bus stop.  He could have gotten on the bus and sat next to Cloud.  He could have surprised the blonde and he could have seen that brilliant grin and those amazing eyes.  

            But he was just standing there.

            Waiting at a bus stop in the rain and sunshine.

            ~~~~~~~

            _I really do love him._

~~~~~~~

...................................................................................

            Yep, short chapter, I know.    Bad Ori, bad!  Yes, yes, okay.  Well here's the deal.  BAND TRIP IS WEDNESDAY.  Yikes.  You all know what this means?  This means, my dear readers, that Sunday afternoon will be entirely devoted to writing One for the Band.  Because I'm basing the events in this fic off of real life events (yes, that does mean that Pretty Princess laps exist, everyone), my band trip will be the inspiration for the fictional band trip... That'll take most of the remaining chapters.

            That means that One for the Band is almost done.

            I'm afraid.  I am very, very afraid indeed.

            To keep from babbling on _too _much, I'll try and keep this somewhat short.  Yes, I know this chapter was short.  I just wanted to use a little Leon and Cloud as inspiration.  In case you didn't know, the italics throughout the end part of the chapter is Sora's writing.  I thought it tied in well.

            There will be a second part to this chapter.  It won't be in the next chapter, but it will have a part two.  The song used is "Cinnamon Lips" by OK Go.  That song is friggin awesome.  ^^  It will also return in the second part of this chapter.  

            Now then, there will not be another update until next Sunday.  I know, I know, I've been slacking and all I reward you guys with is a six page side-story.  *bows head in shame*  Forgiiiive me.  I will make it all better.

            Please note however, that the Fire Dance mentioned in this chapter is also based off of real life.  If you'll give me a moment to drabble on about my school's trumpeters, I shall say that they are absolutely amazing.  The Fire Dance is composed of three or four trumpeters and the tune for it is amazing.  Everyone goes dead silent when they play.  It's awesome to watch and listen to them perform.  Yes, I am a band geek. Guffah.  

~Ori


	14. Light the Fuse

            Back from the band trip!  (Obviously.)  

           And do you know what guard won first place at the competition?  Do you?  That's riiiight.  That was my color guard, folks!  I won't bore you all with the details-- Just wanted to share the awesome news. 

            Besides.  You've got this chapter to read now.

..................................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Fourteen**

'Light the Fuse'

            Friday afternoon found the marching band tucked inside the school, due to rain and thunder outside.  As was the norm whenever this happened, the band room was too small, too stuffy, and just a little too loud for anyone to even be able to process mildly coherent thoughts.  At least, that was the case for Sora, who had been reduced to a puddle at Riku's feet.

            The silver haired boy leafed through stacks of paper and glanced down at his boyfriend, raising a silver eyebrow.

            "Something wrong, Sora?"

            Opening one blue eye, Sora peered up at Riku, a pout forming on his face.

            "I think Cloud's mad at me."

            "Why would you think that?"

            "He's not really talking to me much."

            Riku sighed and glanced across the crowded room over towards a corner where Cloud sat, tracing his fingers over the intricate form of his flute.  Even though he never really played the instrument much anymore now that he was a drum major, Cloud had seemed to carry the flute around with him quite a lot the past few days.  After all, the rest of the flute players had picked up their piccolos, putting away the longer and more cumbersome instrument for concert performances.  

It _had_ bothered Riku a bit, how Cloud had suddenly seemed to turn so quiet...

            But if it was even starting to penetrate Sora's upbeat mood, then something was obviously going on.

            "--tomorrow for the band trip... What if Cloud's sick?  He'd tell us, wouldn't he, Riku?  I don't want him to get even worse on the trip if he _is_ sick or something."

           Riku blinked, looking back down at Sora.  Though he hadn't really caught the first part of what the brunette had said, his mind already had an answer to his other questions.  Cloud wasn't sick because Cloud just didn't get sick.  It was absolutely unheard of.  And even if he was sick, he would probably be the first one to pull himself out of practice because Cloud would be smart enough to know that he couldn't be sick for the competition.

            The last time he had gotten sick and not bothered to tell anyone before the performance... 

            Opening his mouth, Riku was about to try and utter some sort of response, but he suddenly found his voice cut off as a foreign object latched onto his throat.

            "RIKURIKURIKU!  BAAAAANDTRIPTOMORROW!  AreyougoingtogowiththeothertrumpetplayerpeoplesandplaythatAWESOMElittlesongthingyareyouhuhhuhareyouareyou?!"  

            And it was suddenly painfully obvious to everyone in the room just where all the noise in the band room came from.  Selphie, of course.  Who else?

            Sora grinned and snickered, his cloudy mood suddenly abolished at the appearance of his friend, even though she was probably cutting off the circulation to Riku's brain... or something else critical like that.  He sat up from the floor, looking up as Selphie gave Riku one last tight squeeze before plopping down on the ground next to Sora, beaming up at the older boy.

            "Jeeze, Selphie, do you have to be so--"

            "Loveable?  Yes."

            "Nevermind."

            Sora piped up, turning to the brown-haired girl beside him.  "But yeah, Riku's playing the Fire Dance with Zell, Irvine, and Leon tonight.  Before the trip and all."

            "Really?  YAY!  Riku's so good at playing the trumpet, Sora!  Aren't you proud of him?"

            "Um, yeah..."

            "Aww, you guys are so cute!!"

            Riku rolled his eyes as the conversation between the two continued much along those lines, but he couldn't stop his gaze from once again returning to Cloud, who still remained in his corner, though his finger had come to rest on the side of his flute, carefully balanced on the keys.  It was as though he would lift the instrument to his mouth at any second and once again prove to the world just what a first chair flute player was capable of... Just like Cloud always did.

            For as long as Riku had been in the band, Cloud had always been the perfect flute player, which many found odd.  After all, it wasn't all that often that a school had a male flutist as talented as Cloud.  

            And he was always sharing the spotlight with Leon.  Riku still couldn't understand how the first chair players always somehow managed to suck up all the attention...  Riku was good, but he was only second chair.  _Next year, Riku.  Next year will be your year._

            But that was the last thought Riku allowed to cross his mind on the issue.  He couldn't do anything for Cloud if Cloud himself wasn't willing to tell everyone else just what was wrong in the first place.  So instead, he just gave the senior a small frown of puzzlement before sitting down beside Sora.  

            At least Riku knew he was always first chair as far as Sora was concerned.

~~~~~~~

            Paine leaned against the brick wall of the school, carefully shielded from the rain by the slight overhang of the roof.  It was rapidly growing dark outside, and not just because of the growing rain and clouds.  The past months had gone by too fast.  That was all there was to it.  The competition coming up was the last one for the seniors.  Many of them would graduate, go to college, graduate from there as well, get a job, a family... And many of them would probably never remember the names of those they had spent four long years working with.

            Four years surrounded by music, flags, drill charts, and uniforms.  And all it was, all that hard work really was... It was just another thing to put on a college application.  Odd, really.  It was college that was tearing them all apart, wasn't it?  

            Paine's unusually jumbled thoughts were interrupted as the door beside her opened slightly, Sora appearing beside her.  Paine smiled at her younger friend, but knew there was something on his mind.  Sora always had the most solemn expression on his face whenever something really troubled him.

            She didn't push it however.  The two stood there for a few moments, the only sound being the drum of the rain against the blacktop.  

            "Paine...  Do you think Cloud's okay?"  

            Once again, Sora's thoughts were right on track.  Paine couldn't help but be proud of the brunette.  He always seemed to read situations so well.  It was easy for Sora to spot a problem when there was one, even though he never seemed to know how to go about solving it.  Well, it didn't matter anyway.

            "He's just a little upset, I think," Paine said quietly.

            "But I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

            The senior chuckled and rolled her eyes at the question.  "Of course not, Sora.  It really has nothing to do with you at all, so it's not your fault."  After a moment, Paine seemed to think and continue.  "I'm not even positive of what's wrong, you know.  Cloud hasn't exactly told anyone what's bothering him, no matter how much we all try and wheedle it out of him."

            "Well then how are we supposed to do anything to help??"  Sora was getting frustrated now and Paine knew it.  To a degree, she was frustrated as well, but she just wasn't letting it show.  Another aspect of Sora:  the boy had a tendency of wearing his emotions right on his sleeve.

            "I think that if Cloud wanted help, he'd asked for it.  He's learned by now to do that, especially when he's held in such high regard."  

            Sora understood absolutely none of this.  Everyone made mistakes.  It was a universal truth.  It was possible, in Sora's mind, that Cloud wasn't feeling well or something... and he just wasn't bothering to tell anyone.  It made sense to Sora, at least.  But it was obvious that there was something else there that he wasn't getting...

            Paine and Sora again found themselves standing there, barely protected from the onslaught of rain, neither one of them talking.  Finally, though, Paine broke the silence, though Sora had to strain to hear her voice over the drone of the water pouring from the sky.

            "Before I was here, two years ago, the band played the Carnival of Venice as one of their concert pieces.  Cid divided it up so that two soloists would be playing the tune back and forth, back and forth, the rest of the band coming in at some parts... It was pretty cool.  And the solo pieces were assigned to a trumpet player and a flute player.  Leon and Cloud.

            "Everyone was so surprised about it because they were just sophomores and they weren't even first chair.  But Cid asked them specifically to do the solo pieces and they agreed.  That was probably when Leon actually started to open up to other people.  Cloud kept sitting with him at lunch and everything and he was always babbling on about band...  Heh, I guess he just grew on Leon or something.

            "But anyway...  The day before the big concert performance, the band held a show just for the parents of the band members.  Everyone wanted to hear the Carnival of Venice because a lot of the parents were still skeptical about the idea of having two sophomores as soloists.  But they were amazing, I'm told.  They completely blew everyone out of the water... I wish I could've been here to listen to them.

            "The only problem was that Cloud was getting really sick.  He fainted right after the show and told his parents he hadn't really felt well lately.  He was dehydrated and when his parents got him home he couldn't hold any food in his stomach.  It was probably just a nasty virus he got, but it was really bad...  He couldn't convince anyone to let him go to school the next day and it wasn't any better by that night's concert.

            "So Cloud didn't perform.  Everyone was really upset about the whole thing for a while and I guess some of them blamed Cloud, even though it really wasn't all his fault.  Point is, Cloud should know by now that he should tell people when something's bugging him."

            Sora thought about all of it and nodded slowly.  It made sense, then.  How Cloud seemed so devoted to Leon all the time.  Perhaps he was still trying to apologize about the whole thing that happened two years ago.  It was absurd for people to be angry with Cloud for being sick, though.  Yes, Cloud could've told someone that he wasn't feeling well--  Sora couldn't help but frown slightly.

            Something still didn't seem... _right_.

            Rather then pushing the issue further, though, Sora just decided to let it rest.  In his mind, he was well aware of the fact that pieces just weren't fitting together somehow, but he also had a feeling that Paine was telling him everything she knew about the issue.  She would have no reason to lie to Sora now... right?

            So perhaps it wasn't Paine that Sora would have to talk to.

            But for the moment, there was always comfort in just standing there with the older girl in the growing darkness.  

            "Sora!" Riku called from inside the building.  "Get Selphie _off_ me!"

            With a grin, Sora turned to wave farewell to Paine, who just chuckled and nodded towards the door.

            "Better go save your boyfriend, Sora.  I don't think even he can handle Selphie when she's in full-glomp mode."

            Sora just laughed and ran through the door, nearly colliding with Rikku on her way out.  He uttered a rushed apology before tearing off down the hallways towards the silver haired boy who just couldn't seem to pry Selphie off his leg.

            Rikku giggled and closed the door behind him, walking over next to Paine where Sora had stood moments earlier.  She had a pretty good idea of what was bugging the senior, but she didn't say anything.  There was just something about Paine that made her a good person to just sit with in silence, no words needing to be spoken for a while.  It gave both parties time to think about their words before they came tumbling out, which was a thing that Rikku rarely got to do.

            "You're worried about him, aren't you, Paine?"

            Paine simply nodded in agreement as rain continued to fall around them.

~~~~~~~

            Everyone who had been wandering around the halls of the school began filtering into the band room as Cid finally stood up to address the band. 

            "Okay everyone, shut up and listen up 'cause I know you all wanna get home tonight and get to bed nice and early for tomorrow's trip, right?  Right.  I want you all here at seven, pronto, got it?  No excuses, or you'll be tellin' 'em to the exhaust of the bus as it leaves without ya.  We're headin' up to the harbor and gettin' on a ship that'll take us up to the mainland, then we'll be grabbin' a train up to the performance site, got it?  Good.  Yeah, yeah, now here's what you all really want..."  Cid snorted and stepped down from the small platform allowing for four trumpeters to take his place.

            As Riku, Leon, Zell, and Irvine came into view, trumpets held in hand and at the ready, the band whistled and clapped, eager to hear the all-famous trumpet piece that the school prided itself for.  

            If the Fire Dance were capable of living up to it's name, it would have to be because of the intricate dance that the four boys seemed to have going with their hands and fingers.  The music swelled to a strong and powerful note that left everyone spinning in their seats before the note fell into multitudes of various tunes and melodies, all of them tying in with the other perfectly.  

            Aside from the players at the front, the band room was dead silent, everyone intently listening to the music filtering through the instruments held by the quartet.  And while each and every person was listening to the music, each and every one of them was thinking about it in a different way.

            Selphie was focused on how terribly hot Irvine was.

            Kosha was thinking of how evil the world was for giving 'that bastard, Leon' such talent.

            Yuna was wondering where Zell had gotten his tattoo.

            And Sora was staring dreamily at Riku, simply because that was just what Sora did.  If he wasn't drooling over the silver haired boy at the front of the room, well, Sora would just have to be absolutely crazy.  ...Or straight.  Since he was neither, Sora allowed himself to drool as he pleased.

            But as the last note of the Fire Dance began to empty from the air and as everyone was just about ready to burst into a well-deserved applause... There was another sound coming from the band room.  A very pure and clean note which soon split off into a simple tune before drawing to a smooth close.

            The song was unmistakable and the upperclassmen knew it.  They knew it as Leon's shocked expression faded into one of confusion before he once more lifted the trumpet to his lips and mimicked the notes that had come from the flute player that had somehow gotten to be only five feet away from him.

            Cloud hadn't forgotten the Carnival of Venice and apparently neither had Leon.

            Sora hadn't quite been able to understand what Paine had been talking about when she'd said that the music went back and forth, but it didn't take very long for him to comprehend her words.  The way Cid had divided the song, it really did flip back and forth between Cloud and Leon, each time growing faster and stronger, more and more complicated.  

            It was almost as though they were egging each other on, the way they kept playing.  Cloud didn't break eye contact with Leon, his blonde eyebrows furrowed in concentration and something which could have been akin to a glare lacing his look.  Sora knew for sure then that there was definitely something he wasn't catching.

            And then both the trumpet and the flute came together, if only for a moment, to end the solo segment of the song, tying it all up with a small duet.  For a moment, the room was dead silent.  And just as expected, the gathered band burst into cheers for the two songs, the set of talented musicians that stood before them, and the reassurance that they were bound to due well at the upcoming competition.

            With Leon and Cloud as drum majors, surely there was no way that things could go wrong.

            But Sora wasn't clapping along with everyone else.  There was something he was missing and it was really starting to bother him.

~~~~~~~

            "And just what the hell was that about?"

            Cloud couldn't help but gulp, warily turning around to face Leon.  He really hadn't known what had happened earlier... It had just, well, happened.  He'd actually been hoping to hightail it back home before Leon got out of the band room, but apparently Leon was just a bit faster then Cloud had really expected.  And now: confrontation.  Blech.  Cloud hated the word.

            The two of them stood outside the school building, the only light coming from the street lamps in the parking lots.  The rain had been reduced to a thin drizzle and Cloud really wanted nothing more then to just run home as fast as he could, if that's what it took to get away from Leon.

            "Cloud!  Answer me!"

            "_What_?  I'm _answering_ you, okay?!  What do you _want_?!"

            There was nothing that could tear Leon apart more then the sight of Cloud standing there, rain slowly trailing down the sides of his face and tears forming in his eyes.  The last thing he wanted was for Cloud to cry.

            "I want to know what's wrong."

            It was a reasonable response and an honorable one, but Cloud didn't want to hear it and Leon probably knew that the very second the words had left his mouth.

            "Why, so you can help?  You can't fucking help, Leon.  You don't know how.  You don't even know what's wrong!"

            "I would if you'd tell me."

            It was when Cloud started forcing himself to laugh that Leon's concern had reached its highest point.  Cloud was a good actor.  Leon knew that.  So why did his laughter sound so sickeningly fake?

            "You really are a riot, Leon.  I mean, _wow_.  What a--" Cloud let out a shaky sigh, trying to regain control of his vocal chords.  "Let me put it this way. 'Well it's tough to have a crush when the boy doesn't feel the same way you feel.  Well it's tough to have a crush, when you're best friend breaks the news.'"

            Leon frowned slightly, confused.

            "Doesn't ring a bell, huh?  Try thinking really, really hard, Leon, and maybe someday you'll get it.  Maybe when you stop being the antisocial, stoic, icicle you are, maybe then you'll get it."  Cloud was no longer making an effort to hold his tears back and they flowed freely in thin rivers down the sides of his cheeks, mixing together with the sweet rain water.  "But I'm not always going to hang around and wait for you to get it."

            And with that, Cloud simply turned and walked away. 

            Leon knew he'd heard those words somewhere before.  He just couldn't for the life of him remember where.  Then again, knowing that he'd made Cloud cry wasn't exactly doing a whole lot to grant Leon the ability to think, since he was so completely overwhelmed with guilt.

            And it was the antisocial, stoic, icicle side of Leon that reassured him.  It was that side which said that in a day or two, Leon would surely find Cloud feeling better.  Cloud was bound to bounce back to his upbeat nature, because that was what Cloud did.  

            He was social, upbeat, and warm.  In Leon's mind, it was impossible for those facts to change.

~~~~~~~

            _May 3--_

_            I talked to Riku after today's "practice" session.  We were stuck inside all day, so no one really got any work done.  But I was asking him about the whole thing with Cloud, since I figured Riku might know something.  He was a freshman when Cloud was a sophomore, and would've known him through band, so I guessed with was worth a try._

_            Apparently, Cloud was only out of school for two days.  Seems kinda weird that it only took him two days to get over a virus._

_            But maybe I'm just being weird.  Whatever._

_            Riku's coming over later to help me pack for the_

Sora looked up from the notebook as Riku opened the bedroom door, grinning.  Sora couldn't help but smile and close the notebook, shoving it off to the side as he went to 'greet' the silver haired boy.

            He did not notice, however, when the notebook slipped off his bed and fell with a quiet thud to the floor.  Sora wouldn't notice it when minutes later, when he and Riku were busily packing Sora's bag for the trip, that a shirt would land on top of the notebook.  No, the notebook was out of Sora's mind as Riku drew his lips towards his own, pulling the younger boy into a kiss.

            As Riku smirked against Sora's mouth, trailing his hands up Sora's spine...

            As Bryna jokingly called out that it didn't really sound like they were packing...

            The notebook wasn't thought of at all.

            For who thinks of petty things like notebooks when life holds so much more appeal in the arms of another?  

            No one, that's who.

....................................................................

            Gasp.  Angst!  Yeah, had to put this in here.  OftB was getting a bit too perky to have a good hold on plot, so here we go.  It's like a sub plot.  Within a bigger and happier plot.  

            Basically, I sat down when I got home from the band trip today and typed this thing out, just like I promised.  Now that I'm not worrying about guard for a few more months, expect updates!  Yes!  Perhaps I'll be able to finish this fic before school lets out... That'd be nice.  

            Umm... I'm almost positive there was something important I had to say, but I can't remember what it was.  So instead, just know that in the next chapter, they all actually leave for the band trip.  The Fire Dance and Carnival of Venice kick ass.  That is all you need know.  

            And yes, I know some of you are probably worried about Cloud.  ...Well, so am I.  Yeep.

~Ori


	15. The Definition of Friendship

Ta da.  I'm not dead after all.

.........................................................................

**One for the Band - Chapter Fifteen**

'The Definition of Friendship'

            It takes the human body an average of twelve minutes or so to completely shut down in order to fall into a deep sleep, REM and all.  

            Sora probably reset the average by falling face first onto the bed provided for him in the small cabin of the ship, fast asleep in less then two seconds.  To say the boy was exhausted probably would've been the understatement of the century.  

            "Sora?" Riku asked hesitantly, stepping in through the doorway.  The two of them were supposed to share a room.  And that was _supposed_ to be a cue for a romantic evening together.  But apparently, Sora's tired body had other ideas, for the only sound filling the room was Sora's soft snoring.

            Riku rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, dropping his luggage to the floor with a thump.  Great.  He finally got some time alone with his boyfriend and what did Sora do?  He fell asleep.  Just like that.  Stupid boy.

            Riku sat down next to the brunette on his bed and couldn't help but smile.  It was understandable, really.  After all, Sora was absolutely adorable when he slept.  So cute...  Riku made a face.  Even when it came to Sora, did his thoughts always have to be so fluffy?  It almost reminded him of all those sick TV shows, soap operas... Whatever.

            Riku was about to go sit down on his own bed when he heard a light knock at the door to the cabin.  It was probably Selphie again, or someone equally as hyper and bouncy.  As it was, most of the band was jumping around with excitement up on the deck.  Riku really just felt like waiting for Sora to wake up so he could spend some much needed time with the younger boy.

            But, not wanting to be completely antisocial, Riku opened the door anyway.

            "Riku?"

            "Cloud!"  Riku nearly slapped a hand over his mouth.  He didn't want to wake Sora up.  Bad things happened when Sora was so rudely awakened from his sleep.  Well, mostly 'bad things' just meant Riku not getting any.  

            "Yeah, the one and only."  Cloud gave Riku a smile, almost seeming every bit like the old Cloud from several weeks past.  "You busy?"

            "Sora's asleep right now.  I was just gonna listen to music or something 'til he woke up.  You wanna go do something else?"

            Cloud seemed to think about it for a moment and nodded.  

            The two boys walked down the corridors of the ship, sunlight filtering in through the glass windows, carrying with it the glimmer of the open water.  Cloud had expected himself to be able to let go of all his problems the moment the ship left the docks of Destiny Islands.  Obviously, this wasn't the case.

            He would bump into Leon by accident or catch his gaze for half a second and everything would just come roaring back into his mind.  Every little thing he'd really wanted to forget.  Cloud couldn't help but wonder if anyone else remembered...

            _Well it's tough to have a crush_

_            When the boy doesn't feel the same way you do_

_            Well it's tough to have a crush_

_            When your best friend breaks the news._

Neither Riku nor Cloud knew how long they spent just wandering around the ship.  They would occasionally stop by people they knew, and once then ran into Rikku and Paine.  Both girls were obviously excited to finally be headed towards the competition grounds on the mainland, though Rikku naturally show it more than Paine, who just smiled calmly and chuckled and her girlfriend's hyper antics.

_            Perhaps you'll find me feeling better_

_            In a day or two_

_            But it's tough to have a crush _

_            On you_

            It was when Riku and Cloud had covered nearly every possible foot of the ship and plowed through nearly every conversation topic that they reached the deck.  By that time, twilight had already descended upon the ocean and the water was calm and peaceful, hardly a noise to be heard except for the quiet churn of the engine far beneath the water.  

            Riku figured this was as good a time as any to bring it up.

            "Cloud?"

            "Mm?"

            "You've been humming that song for the past two hours."

            Cloud blinked, suddenly caught off guard.  He'd been thinking about the song, sure, but he hadn't realized he'd actually been humming it.  Whoops.  Unable to think of a good excuse as to why the song had popped up in his mind and stayed there, Cloud simply remained silent, leaning against the safety railing of the deck and pretending to be distracted by the vast expanse of water surrounding them.

            "Cloud... I..." Riku sighed.  He really wasn't good at this sort of thing.  Were was Sora when he really needed him?  Fast asleep, of course.  "Listen, if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, that's okay.  But you're really starting to worry me, you know."

            "Yeah... I guess I worry a lot of people.  I'm sorry, Riku," Cloud mumbled halfheartedly before once again falling silent.  The song was there again.

_            Well it's tough to have a crush_

_            Whoever knew such hullabaloo?_

_            Well it's tough to have a crush_

_            When it only leaves you blue_

That stupid song...  It just wouldn't go away.  But Riku did.  After several minutes of silence, Riku sighed again and bade farewell to Cloud, heading back towards his own room, probably looking forward to seeing Sora.  Cloud simply allowed himself to think as he stood there, weight supported on the safety rail.

            Wouldn't it be interesting if the flimsy metal bar just broke?  

            Cloud would laugh for sure.

_            Perhaps they'll find you in the river_

_            In a month or two_

_            Well it's tough to crush on you_

"I remember that..."  Cloud's eyes widened and he nearly jumped overboard at hearing the cool voice coming from behind him, seemingly right out of nowhere.  Had the person been anyone other then Leon, Cloud probably would have been angry with them for just sneaking up on him like that.  But it was Leon, of course.  No one else.  Sneaking was just one of those weird things Leon was able to do very well.

            Cloud supposed it was a good thing that Leon remembered.  After all, at least it showed that the other boy had been thinking about what had happened the previous night after Cloud's little outburst which Could himself still couldn't explain.

            Resuming his laid back posture, weight once again resting on the railing of the ship, Cloud scoffed.  His eyes remained focused on the inky surface of the water before him, though his mind was certainly running off elsewhere, leaving the rest of poor Cloud far behind.  After a moment, he though to respond to Leon's presence and voice, though part of him still resented the other boy.

            "Memories suck, don't they?"

            Leon was quiet a moment and once again Cloud was surprised as the brunette appeared right beside him.  Damn Leon and his stupid stealth...  "Not all of them, no."

            "Hn."  Cloud didn't feel like talking, least of all to Leon.  How fitting that the one time Leon is willing to actively participate in conversation Cloud would rather just crawl under a rock and stay there for a good long while.

            "I think the best ones are the ones we don't have yet."

            "What's that mean?"  Cloud cocked his head to the side, pondering Leon's words.  It wasn't the words that bothered him quite as much as the simple fact that it was Leon who had said them.  And it didn't even seem like a very Leon-isque thing to say in the first place.

            "Nothing at all," Leon said after a moment of silence.  He shrugged one shoulder in an uncaring matter before turning and heading back towards the door leading inside the ship.  He didn't get too far before Cloud's angry voice called out from behind him.

            "Hey!  Don't you walk away from me!"

            "I'm not going anywhere," Leon lied.  "Just around."

            "No.  Get back here, Leon."

            Leon turned and surveyed Cloud with his icy gaze.  On a regular basis, it was suicide to order the brunette around in such a callous manner, but then again, it was Cloud.  It was _expected_.  So Leon simply hardened his gaze, walking several steps back towards Cloud although not resuming his position beside him.  "I'm here.  What is it?"

            "You are the biggest bastard... you know that?"  Cloud was more than a little tired and Leon's cool attitude was really not helping the situation any.  Pushing the taller boy right over the side of the ship was starting to look pretty damn good at that point.  A fleeting thought caused Cloud to wonder whether or not Leon could swim.  If he couldn't, he might need CPR when they pulled him back on the ship.  Cloud _was_ certified to give CPR if it was needed, after all....

            "Thank you."  The words neatly derailed Cloud's train of thought, causing a scowl to appear on his face.  

            "How can you be so uncaring?  All I've ever done is try to be fucking _nice_ to you!  So why do you hate me?"  Inside his head, Cloud's own mind was laughing at him, sending out melodramatic warning signs by the boatload.  Cloud was, however, far past caring what was or wasn't overly dramatic.  He figured he'd been juggling all the self-restraint he could handle for the past three years...

            "I don't hate you."

            Cloud blinked, slightly caught off guard by Leon's words.  Perhaps it was because he hadn't been paying too much attention to their rather bitter conversation, or perhaps because Leon seemed to have suddenly melted away a bit from the freezing icicle he'd been only moments earlier.  So Cloud did the only rational thing he could think of.

            More like the only thing he could think of.

            He laughed it off.

            "Hah."  Cloud snorted, turning from the ocean view and resting the side of his hip on the railing so he was facing Leon.  Possibly not the safest thing in the world, but who cared?  Leon didn't hate him... He'd never hated him.  But still..."Well you sure have a weird way of showing it."

            Leon raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest as though he were taking up a defensive position, trying to ward off Cloud's words.  And with just a few simple words of his own, Leon did just that.

"Well I never said I liked you either."

            "W-what?!"

            "I said, Strife, that I never said that I _liked_ you either.  I know you can be slow sometimes, but you're not deaf."

            "How can you say that?"  Cloud wouldn't cry _again_.  He cried way too much and he wasn't going to deny it.  But boys weren't supposed to cry, so he swallowed hard and tried to keep the choking noise in this throat down to a minimum.  

            "Easily." Leon's icy nature had returned once again and in full force.  Whatever it was that had warmed the brunette for that moment had just disappeared, leaving Cloud out in the cold.  And Leon was leaving, just like that.  He could turn around and walk right back inside without a second thought, just like he always could.  Nothing had really changed at all, even after all those years Cloud had spent with the other boy.

            "Leon..."  Despite his efforts, Cloud's voice still sounded soft and strained.  "Leon, come back.  _Leon_!"

            But he was already gone.  If he had heard Cloud he hadn't paid any mind to the blonde's words.  Some things really didn't change.

            "Cloud..."

            "Paine?"  Cloud turned in bewilderment, only to have his gaze met by a pair of crimson eyes.  He hadn't even noticed the other girl's presence at all!  How was it that the entire world seemed capable of sneaking up on him without his notice?  It was _really_ starting to get annoying.  "Wh-- How long have you...?"

            "Long enough."  Paine moved from her position by the doorway over towards Cloud, who looked terrible.  It wasn't really surprising, though.  No one ever really deserved the harsh words Leon often dealt out.  Paine herself was surprised that Cloud was even able to survive so many years of being Leon's supposed friend.  But what sort of friend was Leon to act the way he did?

"Listen, Cloud.  You might get another chance with Leon.  We all get second chances, most of the time.  But you can't take that chance _now_.  You can't be angry with him and you can't stop talking to him.  You know why, right?"  Cloud simply frowned at the floor of the deck, not willing to meet Paine's gaze again.  Paine simply sighed and drummed her fingers against the railing of the ship.  It was interesting how she always seemed to be the one stuck dishing out advice like this.  Wasn't it obvious what needed to be done?

"Cloud, we've got _the last _competition of the year right in front of us.  Don't break down now.  The band needs you."

            "Fuck the band."

            "You don't mean that."

            "No."  It was Cloud's turn to sigh as he glanced over his shoulder, looking out at the ocean once more.  It was dark now, and a little too cold for comfort with the breeze that was beginning to stir.  "No, I don't."  Another wash of cold air made Cloud wince slightly as he crossed his arms and started back towards the doorway of the ship.  "I... think I'm gonna go find Leon." 

~~~~~~~

            "You left them _alone_ together??"  Sora gaped at Riku.  Wasn't he supposed to be the smarter of the two?  That was _usually_ the case, after all.  What the hell had gone wrong?  Perhaps Riku had hit his head while Sora was sleeping...

            "Well..."

            "Ri-kuuuuu...  Can't you see something's going on between those two?"

            "So why not let them work it out?"

            "Since when do either of them work things out?"

            "...Right.  Point taken."  Riku plopped down on the bed beside Sora, patting the younger boy comfortingly on the shoulder.  "Hey, don't worry about it.  They're mature enough to fix it themselves, you know."

            Sora just sighed, leaning against Riku and closing his eyes.  Mm... Riku was so nice and warm...

            "Hey, it's okay, Sora.  Really."  "We should be about three or four hours away from the dock about now.  You excited?"

            "Yeah..."  Huh.  Sora sounded rather-- Oh great.

            "Sora?"  Riku should've known it was going to happen.  "...Sora?"  The brunette was fast asleep, leaning heavily on Riku's shoulder and preventing the older boy from moving at all, lest he wake Sora and face the wrath that was sure to follow.  Wonderful.  Let another opportunity for a romantic hour or two destroyed.  

"Shit."

~~~~~~~

            "You know I don't exactly like muddling in other people's business, but can I at least ask you what the hell all that was about?"

            Cloud blinked at the voice, rather lost and confused.

            It was Paine again... But gone was the kind tone she'd been using with Cloud, instead a bitter edge was found in her voice.  Apparently Cloud's little detour to the mess hall of the ship had allowed the other girl time enough to beat him to Leon.  Well it wasn't Cloud's fault.  He really needed that chocolate pudding.  

            "I didn't lie, if that's what you mean."  Leon's muffled voice drifted out from the bedroom though the narrow opening in the doorway.  Cloud knew it was wrong to be listening in, but...

            "Well then what _did_ you do, if you don't mind my asking?"  

            "I _do_."

            "I don't really give a shit."  Screw morality.  Cloud wasn't about to walk into the room at that particular moment and he certainly wasn't about to go wandering around the ship like some lost and confused puppy.  He would just say he was waiting to go into his room... That was all.

            "When I said I never liked him, I wasn't kidding."

            "You ba--"

            "Would you let me finish?"  Cloud couldn't help but lean in closer towards the door, anxious to hear more of Leon's deep voice and not just because he liked the sound of it either.  "No, I never liked him."  Unconsciously, Cloud bit down hard on his lip, trying to keep all his emotions in check.  He leaned in closer still, trying to perhaps catch a glimpse of Leon somewhere in the room.  There was Paine, leaning against a wall...  There was Leon's foot.  If Cloud were just a little closer, then maybe...

"I guess I just always l--"  With a thud, Cloud tumbled through the doorway, letting out a yelp of surprise and whacking his shoulder quite painfully on the doorknob during the whole process before landing face-first on the floor.  "Cloud, what the _hell_ are you doing there?"  A very good question indeed.

            "Um... Just hanging around?"  Levering himself up from the floor, Cloud chuckled nervously, hesitantly looking up at Paine and Leon who were both looking at him with puzzled expressions.  Finally, Paine groaned, shaking her head as she stepped over Cloud to get towards the door.

           "You both are impossible."  Before closing the door behind her, Paine added on, "Just remember to get to bed early.  You'll need the rest."  Typical motherly advice.  No surprise there.

            Leon shrugged once the door was closed and stood up from his small bed, moving over towards his duffle bag which lay in a corner of the room.  Bending down, he unzipped the bag and pulled out a toothbrush and toothpaste, heading towards the bathroom.  This might be Cloud's last real chance before the competition... He couldn't lose it just because of dental hygiene.  

Leaping up from the floor, Cloud placed himself directly in front of the brunette's path, neatly blocking him off from the small bathroom door, arms spread wide and a look of defiance on his face.  Quite picture-perfect, really.  "Leon!  I need to have a word with you."

            "Alright, then.  Have a word.  Have several."  Leon smirked, crossing his arms.  That was a weird way to word things.  ...Wait a minute...

            "Oh shit, you have _got_ to be kidding me."  Now was not the time for either of them to be waxing poetic, no matter how good or bad it may be.  But Cloud had been the one who had started it, really, back in their freshman year.  So there was really no one to blame but himself and there was really nothing to do but participate in the stupid game he'd made up.

"I do naught but act benevolent, dear."

"Were you a benevolent boy, that is," Cloud said, rolling his eyes.  Was Leon purposefully doing this so that Cloud wouldn't have his chance to really talk to him?  

"Good sir, I pray thee, spare me of thy words."

"And spare thee of thy grand torment?  _Like hell_!"

"Look here, but what a saucy boy he is!"  Cloud couldn't help but laugh at the statement and respond appropriately.  Old inside jokes... Nothing could destroy a bitter mood better than those.

"Saucy like Prego... like Marinara?"

"And how clever thou are on top of that."

"Classy, Leon, jeeze."  Five syllables.  The question was, would Leon remember what to do?

            "That is what I am."  Apparently so.

"For sure, my dear sir."

            "And you?  What are you?"

"Nothing more than you."

            "But nothing less, though."

"Everything less."

            "I don't believe you."

"You _must_ find it true."  Cloud frowned, trying to figure out if there was any emotion other then amusement in Leon's gaze.  He'd thought there was something there for a moment... concern, perhaps?  But it was probably just wishful thinking on Cloud's part.

"Why would you say that?  You've done nothing wrong."

"And I thought you'd never lie.  Nice, Leon, nice."

"It isn't your fault."

            "Yet I don't trust you."

"I ask not for that."

            "I wouldn't give it."

"Keep your trust then.  Give it to those worthy."

Cloud blinked, looking up at Leon.  He hadn't even realized his gaze had dropped to the floor.  Then again, he hadn't even realized it when their joking conversation had turned to one more serious.  Cloud smiled then, though he didn't know why.  Maybe it was because he really _did_ see some foreign emotion behind Leon's well-guarded eyes, even though Cloud was unable to place it at that moment.  

"I know of none worthier than you, friend.

But with that, I say farewell, friend, adieu."

"And I know not what to say but thank you."

"Any time."  Cloud's smile stretched into a grin as he stepped aside, allowing Leon access to the bathroom.  "Oh, but Leon?  One more thing?"

"Hm?"  Leon looked up from his toothpaste bottle, though Could couldn't help but notice the precise care Leon took in putting the damn paste on the stupid toothbrush.  Only the obsessive-compulsive Leon would be capable of doing such a thing and yet still managing to some how look so hot while doing so.

"You suck with iambic pentameter.  Just to let you know.  Your English teacher would be ashamed."  Cloud laughed, moving back in towards the main room of the cabin, pulling off his t-shirt and tossing it on top of his duffel bag carelessly.  Naturally, he didn't notice the great efforts Leon went to in order to avoid looking at the other boy as he stripped down to his boxers, sliding between the covers of the small bed he'd been provided with.

"Go to hell, Strife." 

Cloud chuckled again, rolling over onto his side and closing his eyes.  "Meet you there, Leon."

............................................................................

            Check it out!  One of my favorite chapters as of this moment!  And do you know why?  Because I got to have fun and write Ori-style Shakespeare.  ...Yeah, I s'pose that calls for a wee bit of explaining, huh?  Umm, basically, I was just sick and tired of Cloud and Leon fighting.  So I pulled some plot strings and got them to **share lines**!!!  In Shakespeare, those who share lines often have close emotional ties of either love or friendship.  My iambic pentameter is undoubtedly wrong in some places, so don't bother pointing it out.  I'm happy with their snippet there.  There's also two rhyming couplets (showing strong emotion or feeling in the words), though I wish I could've used more of them elsewhere.  Ah well.

            And I was planning on having this chapter out yesterday, really I was.  But my history essay on Confucianism tied my down almost all day and my typing skills had taken a beating after punching out who-knows-how-many pages of Chinese thoughts and logic.  

            Also getting sick.  Erk.  Oh wait, hold it!  The song used is by OK Go ("Tough to Have a Crush").  If I come home early from school tomorrow due to sickness (can't miss it altogether, due to a CPR test and a French quiz), I'll try and get another chapter of something done.  I know a lot of people was an update from Pretty Little Boy, but please be patient.  ^^  That fic is surprisingly difficult to write, for some reason.

~Ori


	16. The Boy Feels Strange

_A suggestion from the author..._

Okay, we all know I haven't updated this thing in _months_. Well. This chapter is going to start pulling out old information and bringing back little sub-plots, particularly the one between Leon and Cloud. I _strongly_ advise you to skim back over the last two or three chapters before reading this, just to refresh your memory a bit. Otherwise, you could be a bit lost. It's just a suggestion though. If you decide not to, it's not critical or anything.

(x) (x) (x)

**One for the Band - Chapter Sixteen**

'The Boy Feels Strange'

Sora's eyes scanned over his surroundings, doing their best to take in as many details as possible as Sora himself was shuffled along in the crowd of students, all filtering away from the docks and deeper into the city. Even from his awkward position deep within the throng of people, Sora could easily make out the handfuls of chaperones doing their best to keep the students together so no one got lost on their way to the train station.

"Excited yet?" Riku asked from beside him with a grin.

Sora could only nod numbly, his gaze still riveted on everything going on around him. The downtown areas of Destiny Islands were _nothing_ compared to the sheer chaos that seemed through thrive on this seaside city on the mainland. Taxis, carts, newsstands, stalls, trucks, gas-stations on every corner...

Brightly painted signs, neon lights, enormous buildings seemingly made of nothing but pure and pristine glass panes...

Riku chuckled to himself as he studied Sora. It was impossible not to be amused by the simply awestruck expression Sora wore at that moment. Tearing his gaze away from his boyfriend, he allowed the simple feeling of the city to wash over him, but didn't exactly find himself drowning in it like Sora. The place was as amazing as it ever was, but it wasn't anything new. Nothing more than a change of surroundings and a slightly cooler environment that Riku was only too happy to embrace.

Once they entire band was herded across five blocks of bumper-to-bumper traffic and frustrated drivers, they were directed into a large train station that held a friendly familiarity to the older band members. Of course, Sora was again astounded by things he'd never seen, and the structure of the station continued to amaze the brunette. It was almost entirely glass... Like nothing was even there at all...

"We're going to be on the train for a couple hours," Leon reminded them. During their procession to the station, the band had clumped off into social groups and clusters of friends, Cloud and Leon stumbling across the two at some point in time while Paine and Rikku were probably off scouring the nearest gift shop with Yuna (though in Paine's case, she was probably simply being dragged along). The train station, which had previously been rather empty and quiet, suddenly found itself teeming with teenagers, goofing off and no doubt disturbing the peace of the quiet little haven they'd first entered.

Sora nodded eagerly, linking arms with Riku and shooting a grin at their small little group. "Alrighty then! Let's eat!"

Riku chuckled, ruffling Sora's hair playfully as he chided, "That _wasn't_ a cue to go pig out, Sora. The train's gonna be here soon and I don't feel like having to wrestle an ice cream sandwich away from you to force you onboard."

Sora scowled slightly before falling into a resigned pout. "But I'm hungry... I haven't eaten since breakfast." Granted, that was only a few hours ago... but still. "And I need to go to the bathroom and I told my mom I'd buy her something and--"

Leon cut in, rubbing his temples with his index fingers and closing his eyes in a rather desperate attempt to drown out Sora's... abnormally perky nature. "Okay. We'll go buy food, you buy something for your mom and go to the bathroom. The train should be here by the time that's all done, so just... meet us there." _Master of all plans, right there_, Cloud thought. Grinning wickedly, he readied himself to pounce on the gorgeous brunette.

Unfortunately, he missed his target as Leon stepped away, already headed towards the small food court the train station held. _Damn_. Sprawled across the floor of the train station and drawing several odd looks from innocent bystanders, Cloud had the nagging feeling Leon had done it one purpose, too. That ass.

x x x

Sora hurriedly flipped through a rack of postcards, already clutching a Traverse Town teddy bear in one hand as he did so. The shop itself was utterly ridiculous, with corny souvenirs and postcards packed from wall to wall, but Sora knew that Bryna had a thing for adorable stuff animals, no matter how stupid they were.

Finally settling on a postcard that sported a gorgeous bird's eye view of the city at night, Sora set both the bear and the card on the counter as he fished around in his pocket for money. The train would get there soon, he still had to go to the bathroom, and he still wanted to find Riku before he got on so they could sit together. ...Granted, Riku would sit with Sora no matter what, but still. Sora wanted to _be_ there.

Having paid for the crappy souvenirs and having told the clerk to keep the change, Sora dashed off towards the restroom, teddy bear and postcard clutched in one hand.

"Hey, don't you want a bag, kid?!"

"No, that's okay! You can have it!"

The shop clerk gave the spiky haired kid a strange look before blinking at the bag he held in one hand, he rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks, buddy. I'll cherish it for as long as I freaking live."

Little did Sora know that as he disappeared into the boys' bathroom, there was someone watching him. Several someones, actually. And one of them just happened to go by the name of Kosha.

x x x

"--that look in your eye

I can read in your face

That your feelings are drivin' you wild

Aw, but girl, you're only a child!"

Leon smiled softly as he peered into the open compartment of the train, watching and listening to what some would simply call Cloud making a fool of himself. And yes, Leon normally took their side. But there was still something more than foolish behind Cloud's obsession with music and noise, something sweet and utterly innocent.

"Well I can dance with ya, honey

If you think it's funny

Does your mother know that you're out?

And I chat with ya, baby

Learn a little, maybe

Does your mother know that you're out?"

Cloud's voice was nothing special, that much was for sure. But just like everything else about the blond drum major, there was something different about it just because that voice _belonged_ to Cloud. Leon allowed himself to dreamily make a long and ever-growing list of everything simply Cloud, even as he silently stood there in the frame of the entrance into the compartment like a frozen statue.

"Take it easy, take it easy

Better slow down, girl

That's no way to go

Does your mother know?"

No one could smile like Cloud could.

No one could laugh like Cloud could.

No one could sing, dance, joke, and walk like Cloud could.

You couldn't breathe, you couldn't blink, you couldn't brush a random strand of hair away from your eyes the _right_ way because you just weren't Cloud.

It was stupidity. And Leon knew it.

"Take it easy, take it easy

Try to cool it, girl

Take it nice and slow

Does your mother know?"

Finally pulling out of the trance that had held him so firmly to that spot on the train, Leon chuckled as he unplugged Cloud's headphones from the CD player in his lap, causing Cloud to yelp and whip his head around to face the brunette towering over him. Spinning the cord almost lazily around his finger, Leon's smirk widened. God, he loved tormenting Cloud, if only because of the reactions he got.

"Jeeze, Leon! How long were you standing there?!"

"Long enough to discover your unhealthy addiction to oldies music."

"What the--?! Hey, that's _classic_! It's not **old**! And what would you know anyway? Gimme that stupid cord, you shithead."

"Mm. I dunno."

"Le-on!" Rolling his eyes, Leon flung the headphones carelessly back towards the blonde, Cloud snatching them out of the air in one fluid movement.

"Are you nervous?"

"No. I'm just pissed 'cause you took away my goddamn music."

"Seriously."

Cloud raised a single eyebrow at the suddenly serious tone, the subject just having popped out of nowhere. Nonetheless, he pondered the question a moment before giving a small shrug and wrapping his arms behind his head, closing his eyes and slowly talking his way through an answer.

"...I dunno. This is our last year. Are we supposed to be nervous? We've got years of experience to back us up and everything, but still... Do you get the feeling that if we screw up this one, that's how they're gonna remember us?"

"Maybe."

It was true, the thought had crossed Leon's mind. It was all fine and well if their friends were somehow able to remember them as nice people (though in Leon's case, he'd probably be recalled as an antisocial, stoic bastard...), but what about everyone else? ...Did it really even matter?

"You've made it this far without worrying about what other people think. If you break down now, it'll all fall apart." Cloud's eyes were open now, his gaze resting fully on Leon and a small flicker of amusement gracing his lips.

"Mm."

"You worry too much."

"..."

"And you talk too little."

"..."

Cloud sighed and allowed the compartment to fall into silence as the train pulled away from the station, the distant drone of voices and the hum of the engine being the only sound that penetrated into the closed space. Really, he'd wanted to talk about a lot more with Leon. But there were times when it was obvious that the brunette was busy thinking, busy mulling over _something_ and just didn't want to be bothered.

Assuming this was just another one of those times, Cloud stared out the window as the city slowly began to give way into scattered suburbs and then rolling grassy hills. The train cut easily through shallow valleys, giving the passengers a beautiful view of crystal clear skies and seemingly endless green stretching across the horizon as far as the eye could possibly dare to see.

It was some time before Leon spoke again, and had he waited another moment longer, Cloud wouldn't have heard him. But since he didn't wait another moment, Cloud was able to snap himself out of the sleepy stupor he'd been lulled into, listening carefully.

"I'm sorry," Leon murmured, his voice nearly swallowed by the air in the compartment itself. "About last night I mean. I don't think... Maybe we should've actually talked about it." Though Cloud turned to study the brunette, Leon's gaze was fixated at the wall opposite of them.

"Maybe," Cloud said. He'd finally gotten Leon to open up, to talk. Only it wasn't really the talk he'd wanted to have with Leon.

Needless to say then, Cloud knew what was coming.

"Leon, wait a min--"

"You've had your chance to talk. Now it's mine, so just give me a minute, alright?" Leon snapped. Cloud went silent, though that didn't stop him from throwing Leon a small scowl in the process.

"You already _know_ why I can't be with you. You _know_ that, Cloud. So _why_ do keep egging me on about it?" Leon watched as Cloud's expression grew into a drawn out pout, his blue eyes drifted downwards to the floor of the train. Sighing, Leon tried to cut back the biting tone from his voice as he said, "Listen. I'm sorry for what happened sophomore year. I really, really am, Cloud. I'm sorry."

"So what, I'm just supposed to forgive you, just like that?"

"...Well, I was hoping--"

"Oh please, Leon! That was cold! Crap like that is what _scars_ kids for _life_!"

For a moment, Leon's eyes took on a vague tint of horror as he turned to Cloud in alarm. "You're... I scarred you for life?!"

"No. Not _me_. _Other_ kids. Moron."

"...I _said_ I was sorry. I don't know what more you want from me."

"Well jeeze, I know it was so _hard_ for you to _finally _apologize after _two whole_ years!"

"What do you want from me?" Leon hissed. His patience had always been short and it was quite obvious to Cloud just how much he was pushing his luck by being so stubborn.

"Several things," Cloud stated. Yes, he was _definitely_ pushing his luck. "One, I want to know your side of the story. Because you never tell me anything and you're always so damn secretive."

"And then what?"

"We'll see how it pans out from there." Well aware of the ice cold glare Leon was aiming towards him, Cloud frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively. "Hey, you're the genius who brought this whole thing up. Not _me_."

Cloud was right, no matter what way Leon chose to look at it. Realizing this, Leon let out a small grunt of disclosure on that argument before resigning to his sad little fate and picking up the threads of conversation himself.

"Well... You were never really good at covering your emotions, Cloud. Or controlling yourself." Leon smirked as Cloud huffed indignantly at his remark before continuing. "When Aerith started hanging around me, it was pretty obvious something was going on. Especially because she never really paid me any mind before, always clinging to you instead.

"Obviously I've always had problems pushing the weird girls away, because I didn't snap at Aerith or Rinoa or anyone. They were just there. She started... Aerith, you know. She started asking me stupid questions about you, like how well did I know you, did I want to get to know you better... Crap like that."

Cloud was listening, he assured himself. But it was shocking just how much Leon was talking. He was probably saying more now than he usually said in an entire month, and Cloud was, to be honest, loving every little second of it. While Leon pushed his way onward through his short tale, Cloud took the opportunity to scoot a little closer to the brunette, slowly but surely, not quite noticeable to Leon himself.

"Highwind picked us for that duet in the Carnival of Venice. We were good, but there were people better than us for the part. I still don't know why he did that... But you looked so happy. It's not exactly like I could say no or anything."

Cloud nodded slowly, though his froze when he realized that he'd scooted a bit too close and the side of his thigh nudged against Leon's. Lucky for Cloud, the other boy was either too caught up in his memories to notice or he simply didn't care that much. Having known Leon for year, Cloud was almost positive that it was the first of the two.

"But the closer you got, I guess the more... nervous... or uneasy. I don't know. Maybe I just didn't want to be close to anyone. Especially you."

Using the moment for all it was worth, Cloud let out a whine and plopped his head on Leon's lap, choosing to ignore the sudden stillness of the other boy as he said, "Why me? What'd I ever do to you anyway?"

Leon blinked numbly, part of his brain registering Cloud's head lying in his lap and the other part of his brain actually liking it. As he fought to silence the own internal battle he had going on in his brain, Leon simply shrugged and hoped that Cloud could see the motion from where he was.

Though Cloud most certainly couldn't manage to see Leon's shoulders from his current position, he could still _feel_ the movement. He could feel the warmth radiating from the brunette, and in the back of Cloud's mind he couldn't help but wonder how such a seemingly cold individual could manage to be so warm and... well, comforting. Cuddly was the word Cloud would have used, had he not known that Leon would kill him for ever even thinking such a thing with such a word.

"But I didn't want to hurt you. You know that. I'd never really meant to hurt you so I never really pushed you away that hard."

"You could be pretty bitter..."

"Yeah, well." Leon let out an aggravated puff of air and Cloud fell silent again, happy to just lie in Leon's lap and listen to him talk, the other boy's voice engulfing him in a bittersweet warm embrace.

"After the parent show, everyone came to say what a good job we did, remember? Rinoa was there too... And Aerith ran over to see you. You both looked so excited and I remember you started walking towards me... I heard Aerith wish you good luck and I _knew _what was going to happen. I honestly don't know if I was afraid of you or afraid of myself or... _what_. So... I asked Rinoa out. Pointlessly. Stupidly. Carelessly. And you were _right there_."

Cloud had long since closed his eyes, though his ears were still open and picking up the words. His brain was still working and it was putting him through the memories. It had hurt. Hurt like hell. And Cloud had been so upset... There had been nothing to cheer him up for days and days. The minor cold he'd thought he'd had escalated to a full-blown fever practically overnight and he didn't do or say anything.

He just took it in stride as best he could and tried to act like the same old Cloud when he returned to school.

Noticing Cloud's stillness and his silence, Leon continued on quietly.

"And the rest you know. Rinoa and I broke up not too long after that. You and I still talked, we still had classes together and all of that. But it was different and it _has_ been different and it _is_ my fault and I'm _sorry_. That is the rest you know. There's nothing left."

The warm gusts of breath coming from Cloud's slightly open mouth ghosted across Leon's thigh and he couldn't help but smile. The ridiculous blond idiot seemed to have fallen asleep on him. Well no wonder Leon never talked. It was obvious that he was just a lousy public speaker.

Glancing towards the closed compartment door, Leon warily slid one hand up towards Cloud's spikes of blond hair, messy as always. There was no harm that could be done, he figured. No one there to witness the action, no one there to reprimand him for the emotion. Just a sleeping Cloud and a lonely Leon.

"So then I found this kid angel that just fell out of the sky and rumor is that I took him in and taught the kid how to fly. Imagine that," Leon murmured, a small smile flickering across his mouth as he gently brushed his fingertips across the soft locks of Cloud's hair.

"Yeah. 'Magine that."

"...You're awake." Leon's hand jerked to a stop, his body going rigid.

"Yep."

"I'm... not used to being this close to you or anything." Lame excuse. Lame words. Leon knew it all.

Cloud turned his head slightly so as to peer up at Leon's face, a loveable smirk on his face. "You're cute when you're confused like that."

"_You're_ confusing."

"That's why you're always cute."

x x x

It was some time later that Riku rapped his knuckles gently on the door to Leon and Cloud's train compartment.

Having received no response, Riku let out an aggravated sigh before sliding the door open, the question already on the tip of his tongue as the door slid to the end of its track, coming to an abrupt halt. But of course the words trailed away as his eyes came to rest on the slumbering figures of the two drum majors, one of Leon's hands threaded tenderly through Cloud's disheveled hair.

Biting gently on his own tongue to keep from talking and disturbing either of the older boys, Riku silently slid the door closed once more. He'd die before he awoke either from that position.

Instead, Riku simply let out another small sigh before spotting Paine down the hallway, just as she walked into the train car. A puzzled expression settled across her features as Riku strode over and asked her with a somewhat frantic tone lacing his throat, "Have you seen Sora anywhere?"

x x x

"Hey!" Sora continued to pound on the bathroom door, but it was useless. There was another small storage space beyond that door before it opened up into the rest of the train station. No one would hear him unless they were actually headed towards the bathroom itself. But still, Sora wrestled with the doorknob, desperate for his freedom, panic scratching at his brain and clawing at his voice.

"_Hey_! Somebody open the _door_!! _Please_!"

It was no use.

Sora was stuck in a damn bathroom with nothing but a postcard, a stuffed bear, and a few bucks. And the train would be leaving any minute.

Sagging against the door, Sora let out a small whimper, pathetically tugging at the door handle one last time before sliding to the floor. It couldn't be... It wasn't possible... He'd come so far, he'd put up with _so_ much... And he wouldn't even make it to the competition. No one would get to see how hard he'd worked, how hard he could try if he just set his mind to it.

"**It's not FAIR!**" The sudden emotion and startling outburst tore at Sora's throat, causing his voice to crack and splinter, pain shooting up towards his head. _No way is this happening... No way, no way, no way..._

But it _did_ happen and Sora could only glare at the jammed door while he sat on the tiled floor, the train having long since left the station.

Blinking sleepily, Sora was slowly beginning to fall asleep but was quickly jerked away by a voice from just outside the door and a slight jostling of the door itself, a small thump. A voice saying, "Huh, that's weird. Wonder if it's out of order or some--"

Sora's savior stepped through the doorway, the boy so excited he leapt to his feet, ready to tackle whoever came into view, the moment he saw their face, the second he saw... He... saw...

"...S...S...Sora?"

Sora gaped at his father, much in the same way the middle-aged man gaped at his son.

_No way is this happening._

(x) (x) (x)

Pwaah! XD Pointless Leon and Cloud fluff! And potential trouble for Sora. Hahaha, his dad of all people... Oh the irony!

The song, by the way, is ABBA's (make one of those B's backwards) "Does Your Mother Know?" And the angel snippet from Leon is derived from Melissa Etheridge's "It's Only Me." _And_ the chapter title is another song by Melissa Etheridge. ...Okay, I think that's it.

...Oh yeah. I'm WAY behind schedule. There will be an update _every day_ from now until Monday (including one day where there are two updates in one day... one in the morning, one in the evening) in order to get this fic done before school starts. ...I'm crazy, I know, but I just want to get these things wrapped up.

--Ori


	17. Send Out The SOS

**One for the Band - Chapter Seventeen**

'Send Out The S.O.S.'

"Dad?! What are... Why are... What are you doing here?!"

"I just got back from closing a record deal with-- Wait, what do you mean what am _I_ doing here? Why are _you_ here? Sora, does your mother know you're--"

"Dad, I'm here for the band compe--"

"Band? You don't play and instru--"

"No, no, I'm with the color guar--"

"Isn't that a girl's--?"

"**No** it **isn't**!"

Both sets of ocean blue eyes bore into one another, the boy pouting, the man frowning. But Sora had never been one for fighting unless it involved games, swords, and sunshine. He was quick to avert his gaze, a trace of a pout descending upon his face as he focused on the ground.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I missed the train..." he mumbled. Already, something inside of Sora knew what his father's reaction would be. _He's probably wondering where he went wrong. How he ended up with a loser of a son like me, huh?_

And the words were certainly there, churning and burning within his father's head, searing their way down towards the tip of his tongue, but it was there that they stopped. Instead of speaking, Sora's father simply stood there, suitcase in one hand, his free hand hanging numbly by his side. He simply stood there and looked at his boy.

"You've... ah..." A light cough escaped then, his free hand fisting to cover his mouth before he continued. "You've grown a lot, Sora. I haven't seen you in... a while."

That was it? It was nothing... no lecture about how irresponsible Sora was, no nagging tone, no superior attitude. Just a simple, though admittedly awkward, fatherly statement? ...Too weird. Sora instantly grew wary, tucking his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he gave his father a skeptical look. Maybe he was sick or something?

Almost as though reading Sora's mind, his father let out a deep sigh, shoulders slumping slightly under the expensive dark blue suit. He had the look and air of one who knew money; how to handle it, how to spend it. But in that one moment, Sora saw him as the defeated and tired old man he'd grown into and something in the boy screamed at him to hug him, reassure him... Sora didn't know what, he didn't know why, but family ties ran deeper than he'd ever expected, it seemed.

"Dad... um..." Sora fumbled senselessly for words, though nothing he could think of in the few seconds he gave himself really sounded all that great. _Oh well._ "Hey. I... missed the train for the competition. But... I'm uh... I'm here now, ya know. Mom said you wanted me to visit or something, so..."

The magic words had been spoken, eloquent or not. It was almost as though Sora had walked into his father's life and lit the fuse, causing a smile to explode onto the man's face, stretching from ear to ear. The sight itself was almost enough to make Sora laugh, momentarily forgetting his long-time feud he'd built up between his dad and himself.

His dad has his smile. And just like Sora's, that smile was infectious and there was no one who could resist the light it was bound to bring.

x x x

_(Earlier that morning...)_

"Yes. Yes, I understand... Yes sir. ...Let me check on that, just a moment..." Raigh glanced at his dim reflection through the window, frowning at the slight wrinkle in the lapel of his coat. Wondering why he ever bothered paying the dry-cleaners in the first place, flipping through the stacks of folders on his desk, and reaching for his coffee cup all while holding the receiver of the phone to his ear with his shoulder, Raigh once again managed to show the world who the master of multitasking was.

He took a sip from the steaming mug of coffee looking over the documents laid out in front of him. Black coffee, no cream, no sugar. If you were going to drink that stuff, you had to drink it like a **man**.

"Yes sir, there is an extra slot we can make available for you, but you'll need to stop by the customer services department in the building and ask for... Yes, that's the first floor, second room on the right. ...Yes. ...Yes. The receptionist will be able to show the way. I'll let her know you're on your way. Tomorrow then? Yes. Alright. Great. Not a problem, sir." _Bleep_. The phone was set back in its cradle, the coffee was picked back up, steam furling up from its rim in pale rivulets of gray.

A rather slow day, all things considered.

Leaning back in his oversized desk chair, Raigh swung one leg up over the other, resting his ankle on his knee as he surveyed his office. Sleek modern furniture and decor was its focus, creating a sophisticated and clean look. Bookshelves lined with biographies, autobiographies, photos and frames, all of the best and the brightest singers the record label had to offer.

Another nobody would swing by that day, take a shot at getting a recording. His chances were slim, Raigh thought with a smirk, for his telephone voice was hardly laced with honey and sugar. But who knew. The newbie may very well be another one of Crown Records' rose among the thorns.

Legends were often discovered in the most unlikely of ways, it seemed.

As Raigh's gaze came back to his own polished mahogany desk (it had cost the company a pretty penny, that desk), his eyes were drawn to the small black-framed pictures that stood there. His family, brilliant and smiling. His beautiful wife and his two stepdaughters, all smiling, all perfect, all supportive. He was the lone testosterone-driven figure the household had to offer. ...Well, with the exception of Pluto. The dog. The stupid dog. The _very_ stupid dog.

Fingers came up to cradle Raigh's chin as his thoughts steadily grew further and further from the office, back towards warm white sands and sprawling ocean waters. Back to kind smiles and big blue eyes, sable hair. Back to his boy, Sora, still probably wasting his life away on the go-nowhere Destiny Island. Back with Bryna, back with the spark and flare of love which had diminished to a faint glow of embers, finally dying out in a last spurt of fire and smoke.

He often wondered where Sora was in life, if he was still as carefree as he had always been. Try as he might have, Raigh had never been able to shake the laid-back nature Sora had been born with, making it obvious to him that his son would never make it in the business world without getting trampled over in the process. It was a let-down, that much was certain. Bryna had argued about it with him day in and day out, their arguments growing more and more heated, angry, and fierce with every year that trickled by in their son's life.

_Is it so wrong to want what's best for him?_

And always, always he wondered what was best for his only real child, his only son to ever walk the world with a joyful grin and a radiant personality. It was the curse that hung over every firstborn child's head, the uncertainty that parents had when dealing with them. Everything was new and hardly in balance. Everything could be ruined so very easily.

And always, _always_ Raigh would wonder if Sora would ever really and truly grow up.

The day had dragged on after that, meeting after meeting, decision after decision. Raigh left the building early to catch a train to the division of Crown Records located in nearby Traverse Town. He knew he'd be there only for a few hours and the thought of skipping the deal altogether had definitely crossed his mind more than once that day. He wanted to go home, spend the evening with his family. He wanted to eat a home-cooked meal and hear about their days, tell them about his own.

Raigh wanted and _needed_ that string of normalcy in his life. But as always, work came first. He had to appear to show company interest and participation.

x x x

"So... where are we going?" Sora asked, turning away from the window of his dad's car. They'd caught the train headed back towards Destati and Raigh was driving them... _somewhere_ then. Inwardly, Sora was marveling at the beautiful car he found himself riding in, skin savoring the feel of smooth and warm leather against it.

Taking up his old habit, Sora also took in the way his father drove. The same focused gaze, the same firm grip on the steering wheel. Not hard enough to make his palms sweaty, but not loose enough to ever look relaxed. Nothing was any different from years and years ago, it seemed.

"I'd like you to meet Marline and the girls..." Raigh said, though his voice was cautious. He quickly added, "If that's alright with you. My meeting was done sooner than I'd though it would be and they weren't expected me for dinner. But they'd be in for a surprise, huh?" He smiled as he said it, another pearly white grin, though his focus was still on the road ahead.

Sora smiled softly, though his stomach flopped at the thought of meeting some step-_people_ he'd never even spoken to before. None of this was planned, absolutely none of it. At that moment, all Sora wanted was to be back with Riku, headed towards the competition. But there was nothing he could do...

Sora couldn't stand that feeling. That... _helplessness_.

"Sure. I'd... like to meet them." Sora's voice came out strained, his smile fake. Raigh didn't pick up on it, his own grin only widening as he drove onward, turning off of the highway onto the exit.

They both fell silent after that, Sora unable to think of anything to say. He was too afraid to ask to be taken to the competition. He couldn't even remember the name of the city, much less _where_ in the city it was held. If he mentioned it to his dad, he'd only be scolded for being stupid and forgetful. _Hardly responsible at all.__ He'd ask me when I was going to grow up and learn to take care of myself... I can take care of myself just fine..._

x x x

Rikku let out a dramatic groan, turning her head towards the sky and shaking it furiously as she whined, "I can't **believe** him! He missed the train?!"

Paine, Leon, and Cloud were seated only several feet away as the blond girl received the news. Riku was pacing frantically nearby, a tiger in a trapped cage, able to do nothing but worry about his boyfriend. They'd reached Destati University only an hour ago and after checking every car on the train, they'd realized that Sora had indeed been left behind.

"It doesn't make sense. Even _Sora_ isn't that irresponsible," Paine mused, her crimson eyes narrowed as she tried to sort through all this. Pieces just weren't fitting together, that much was obvious. There was something they were missing.

"We can't just sit here and do **nothing**!" Riku didn't stop pacing, his hands fidgeting at his sides, occasionally tucking them into his pockets or pulling them through his hair only to swing them back down to his sides once more. "Sora doesn't have any money, he doesn't have any way to contact anyone here... Wait! The chaperones! They have cell phones!"

The brilliant look of hope Riku had at the idea was suddenly dashed to pieces as Leon drawled, "It's not like Sora has the number..."

"Wait, okay, just hold it a sec." Cloud stood up from the bench they'd been seated on, crossing his arms as he thought things through out loud. They had to be able to think of something. At the very **least**, they had to be able to figure out if Sora was okay. What had happened back there?

"We've got three hours 'til competition time, but only one hour 'til we have to put on our uniforms and start warming up and preparing..." He sighed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "There's no way we can make it all the way to Traverse Town and back in time. Even if we had a car and even if there wasn't any traffic, there's just no way. Who was the last person to see him?"

"We were, as far as I know. We went and got food while Sora bought some souvenir for his mom and went to the bathroom," Riku stated. The entire ordeal was painfully frustrating, especially for Riku who had long since looked at himself as Sora's sort of... protector. The only who would always be there to watch out for the younger boy's welfare. Well, he'd managed to royally screw up this time.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that..." Paine was now looking past their group, further into the crowd of the band. A familiar throng of boys stood in a circle, laughing heartily and joking amongst themselves.

"Does Cid kn-- Paine? Hey, Paine! Where are you going...?" Rikku jogged to catch up to the older girl who had swiftly risen from her seat, making her way through the band with such a focused walk that no one dared stand in her way. The blond glanced nervously around, sensing the distant anger that pulsed from Paine like a sick heat. "Hold on, Paine, just wait a minute..."

"Kosha!"

"Hn?" Kosha looked turned away from his friends momentarily, a lazy smirk stretched across his face as he saw Paine and Rikku, their friends trailing close behind them, wondering what was going on. "Oh, the local lesbos. What's shakin'?" The boys around him let out great whoops of laughter, clapping Kosha on the back and doubling over from their own mirth and laughter.

Rikku's previously confused expression turned to one of anger in a flash, her hands balling into fists as she unconsciously stepped forward, one hand already drawn back ready to spring forward at any second. Though Rikku surely wanted no more than to punch the boy's lights out, Paine nonchalantly stepped between her and Kosha, arms crossed and a scalding edge to her gaze.

"Paine!" Rikku adamantly shoved at her girlfriend, clawing to get at Kosha and rip the jackass's eyes out with her teeth. Paine simply glanced over her shoulder and shook her head, causing her girlfriend to pout and bitterly cross her arms.

"Come on, Paine, let your little kitten out of her bag," Kosha sneered, causing only more hilarity to burst out around him. "We all want to play with her too."

**_Crrrack!_**

The next second, Kosha was howling as he found himself sprawled across the concrete, cradling his jaw in his hands as Paine flexed her fingers, glaring icily down at him.

"Oh yeah, so **you** get to punch him, but not _me_," Rikku muttered.

"Listen up, punk. If you want to go looking for trouble, keep right on going. Get your ass kicked in front of the entire school for all I care. But _before_ I make you piss blood, how about you telling me where Sora is, hm?"

"He... he..."

"Come on, Kosha, we don't have all day." Paine's voice was laced with poison sugar as took a step towards the fallen student who promptly proceeded to scramble backwards as rapidly as he could, one hand still clutching at his jaw.

"It was just a joke! We... we... A buncha the guys and me, see? We just wanted to get back at the little squirt is all! We didn't _hurt_ him or nothin'! J-Just locked him in the bathroom, that was it! We didn't **_hurt_ **him! We just wanted to get even!"

"Get even? What'd he ever do to you?"

Silence followed, thick and impenetrable, drawing some of the nearby band members into the feud, completely oblivious as to what was going on. Finally, Paine simply let out a dry and humorless laugh, shaking her head at Kosha.

"You're nothing but a coward, are you? Nothing but a coward." Turning back towards the two drum majors and her girlfriend, Paine said, "Alright, let's go. We have to find Cid in all this mess and let him know what's happened. Maybe there's something he can do..."

x x x

Raigh couldn't help but beam with excitement as he pulled onto his street. This could be it! Who knew? Maybe if Sora had a good enough time, if he like his new family enough... Perhaps Sora could choose to stay with _him_. Raigh could fix him, he could teach him how to be a real man. None of this girly flag-spinning business. None of that. Sora would grow a backbone, he would be _strong_.

"Sora, do--"

"Dad... I... um..." Sora was looking out the window once more, thoughts racing through his head, making him feel dizzy and slightly ill. What was he _doing_ there? He had to get to the competition! _It won't look right if there's holes, the judges might count them down... I told them I'd be there, I need to be there..._ But as he looked over at Raigh, who was still listening and waiting for Sora to continue his thought... Sora was torn. His dad looked so _happy_ to see him.

Forgiveness was embedded into Sora's nature, and though he wasn't quite sure when it had happened, he realized that he had forgiven his father for everything that had happened. Really, it was no one's fault that his parents marriage had played out the way it did. Sometimes things just happened for no reason at all and all you could do was roll with it, take it in stride and try to understand it and learn from it as best as you could.

"Oh, do you have a girlfriend, Sora? I'd like to meet her, sometime, you know. And you used to have that friend... I remember them! Your friends, Kairi and Riku! How are they doing?" Excitement, eagerness. Raigh really did want to know about him. Sora just... couldn't understand.

Did he _really_ want to know? Sora didn't have the answers his father wanted to hear. Would he want to know the truth?

"That's... Dad... um..." Sora felt his breath hitched in his throat, refusing to give him more oxygen. It hurt. It hurt _so_ much knowing that he was on this one way road to disappointing his dad. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Not after having silently fought with him for so many years, pointlessly and stupidly.

Raigh was a good man, but Sora didn't want to let him down.

"I'll bet Kairi's a really nice girl now, huh? And Riku? He's a year older than you, isn't he? He was always real smart, wasn't he? Good athlete, too. You guys are still friends, right?" There was something odd here... Raigh was beginning to pick it up and his words were growing frantic, his questions tinged with worry. Why wasn't Sora answering? He still **had** friends, right? He'd **always** had friends, right? So what was wrong??

"Um... Dad, can you pull over?"

"What?"

"Please? I just..."

"We're almost there, Sora, what's wrong? It'll just be a--"

"Please pull over, Dad."

Raigh did, his fear growing by the second as he pulled to the side of the road, stopping in front of a large white house, trimmed lawn, neat flowerbed, the whole nine yards. Sora could be so happy here with him and his new family, he could amount to so _much_ here... But something was wrong... _Come on, just a few more blocks, **please**, Sora..._

"Dad, I... don't have a girlfriend."

...That was it? "Well... ah... There's nothing wrong with that, son. You've still got years left ahead of you and..."

"Mgy."

"...Excuse me?"

"'Mgay."

"What? Sora, you have to speak louder, I can't understand a word--"

"DAD, I AM **GAY**, OKAY?! **GAY**! **ME**! HERE!"

Raigh's mouth dropped open, a sound while seemed to be something between a choke and a gasp coming out in a mangled, tangled constriction of vocal cords and internal confusion. Other than that, the car was utterly silent. Across the street, a squirrel regarded them curiously, the dog stopped barking, and the birds ceased to sing for a just a split second, wondering what the strange ripple of disturbance had been that had just rushed past.

"I... I... I'm sorry," Sora murmured before he knew he was speaking again, words pouring from his mouth like water, the rest of his body frozen like a statue amidst the fountain of words and silent noise. "I didn't want to make you upset or anything dad, but you asked and I... I... I'm gay, gay, gay and Riku's my boyfriend and he's gay too and I know you're probably really upset and I'm really, really sorry, Dad, I didn't want to ruin your day or your life or anything like that it just... it just... it... happened."

"It just... happened," Raigh repeated, his normally smooth voice coming out strained and coarse.

"...Yeah."

"When... How long ago... How did...?" Words couldn't seem to make their way out in complete sentences, only coming out in fragments of thoughts and speech, only making Sora worry more and more, wondering if he'd pushed his perfectly sane father all the way to insanity.

"It's... sort of a long story, I guess. I mean... I dunno. I just got a crush on him. It just _happened_, I told you. I don't know why, but it did. And then he made this bet with me about joining the color guard... He um..." Sora broke off and decided to leave that thought unfinished. Mentioning Riku's promise of 'making it worth his while' probably wouldn't do much to help his case as far as his father was concerned. "Well, basically, it just turned out that way... You know, he liked me back and, uh, now I guess we're... you know... boy...boy... _boyfriends_."

"...Oh."

"...Um... Dad...?"

"...Yes?"

"...You're, uh... You're sorta... strangling the, uh... steering... wheel," Sora pointed out lamely.

"...Oh." Raigh released the poor steering wheel from his death grip, his hands moving to his lap where he nervously clenched and unclenched his fists.

"...It's okay if you don't want me to meet your family or... anything. I understand, ya know," Sora said, looking at the floor of the car and wishing and praying that the chair would swallow him alive... _anything _that would just get him away from his dad right then. He couldn't bear to tear him apart again. Not now. Not here in some stupid expensive car...

"No."

"Yeah, I figured..."

"_No_, I mean..." Raigh took in a deep breath, his lungs eagerly gulping in every bit of oxygen they were able of holding before releasing it all in an enormous sigh. He tried again, forcing himself not to falter. Not now. Not here in his stupid expensive car. "I still want them to meet you, Sora. You're still my son."

"...Huh?"

Clearing his throat, Raigh tried yet _again_. It appeared Sora still remained the same carefree island boy he'd always been... Did Raigh mind? Did he still want to change his son? There was so much he didn't know...

"I... I..."

One look at Sora nearly drove his father crazy. It was ripping him to shreds, everything he'd hoped for the boy, every dream he'd thought of... everything he'd been praying for from the moment he'd found Sora at that ruddy old train station. It all looked like it was just fading away, just like the passing dream that it had really been.

"I'm not ashamed of you, Sora," he finished. _I've said it... Please let me mean it._ "I... It... It's just... who you are. Part of you. But before that, you're my son and... I've always... missed having my son be a part of my life. Regardless of whether you choose to love girls or boys or... I don't _know_... _Regardless_ of all that, I still want you to meet them. I... I've missed you."

"What about color guard?"

"What?" Raigh couldn't help but be slightly annoyed. He'd just made this **huge** decision and given up all his great plans for turning his son into a _real_ man, and here Sora was asking about some stupid girly--

"You still think it's girly, don't you."

...Caught in the act.

"Well, Sora..."

Fate chose this moment to make herself apparent, taking pity on Sora and his very confused father. From outside the car, a piece of paper drifted sluggishly across the street, out of place in the clean and trim environment of the upper-class neighborhood surrounding them. It swished and swooped with each small breeze of wind, the air gently picking it up in its arms, cradling it almost tenderly as it drifted towards the car, the only movement that Sora or his father could see.

Soundlessly, the paper came to rest on the windshield, both of the car's occupants instantly looking at it. A flyer.

**Regional Band Competition**

**--May 15th, ****Destati ****University--******

**--Free admission for local residents, food and beverages available--**

"Dad..." Sora started, unable to finish as his eyes widened, gawking at the flyer on the other side of the glass. It was impossible, it was just simply too good to be true...

"I had no idea..."

Whether Raigh had been talking about the band competition or the plain and simple truth that his son was quite gay, Sora didn't know. But as the wind pulled the paper away from the car once again and Raigh started the vehicle, pulling out into the road and turning on a dime, headed right back the way they came from... one thing became very, very clear to Sora.

No matter what, his father still cared about him.

No more words were exchanged between the two, Sora's eyes glued to the window, desperately looking for the turn off that would take them to the university, Raigh's focus entirely on the road and the speedometer in front of him. They were men on a mission, father and son finally bonding together though in the **strangest** of ways.

The past was forgiven, buried for the moment as they pressed onward, surging down the highway, weaving in and out of mobs of other cars. There would be time for family, there would be time for catching up, explanations, and talk. There would be time for **all** of that. But not now.

_Now_ Sora had a competition to get to.

Raigh and Sora both spotted the exit sign at the same instant, the car pulling off to the far right lane and turning onto that exit, drawing closer still to the band and the university, the distant hum of tuning instruments already reaching their ears, soaring through the air and bleeding through the glass, tantalizing their ears and teasing them, egging them on.

_Hurry up_, the music said. _You'll be late._

But as Raigh jerked the car to a halt and Sora leapt out of the car, time slowed just for a moment, just for them. Sora looked back at his dad and smiled.

"Thanks."

Raigh nodded firmly, businesslike. So very much like him, but so very different from Sora. But that was the way it was. Like a lot of things, it had just happened.

With that, Sora closed the car door and turned on his heel as he heard his father pull the car away. Part of him was hurt that he was leaving, but part of him doubted he really was. But all of it was overruled as he heard his heart beating loudly, felt it pounding against his chest as his sneakers hit the ground, carrying him towards the university and towards the competition.

(x) (x) (x)

Three chapters left... I can do this. I'm just gonna need lots more caffeine. If you paid _very_ close attention to seemingly unimportant details throughout this chapter, you might be able to figure out the importance of Raigh's character in the future. ...Pronounce his name however you want, by the way. He appeared too late in the story for it to matter much. Personally, I just say it as 'ray,' but really, whatever floats your boat.

...Don't you just love his character? **I** love his character. He just feels sort of real-ish, you know? He's _far_ from perfect, but he's learning and that's what's important.

XD And don't you just wanna cheer for Paine?

--Ori


	18. The Letting Go

**One for the Band - Chapter Eighteen**

'The Letting Go'

Sunlight played through the leaves of the palm trees, their shadows shivering against the concrete with the breeze that raked through the air. Beneath their shade, two boys ambled along the sidewalk, hand in hand. For them, time wasn't an issue. They had somewhere to be, something to do, but they weren't worried about it. They would get there in time and they would be there before it was too late.

"Riku..." The brunette started speaking first, swinging his arm back and forth, carrying Riku's hand with him, clasped in his own. "You never told me what happened."

"Hm?"

"Before I showed up at the competition that time, remember? You weren't worried were you?"

Riku couldn't help but just laugh at the stupid question, reaching his free hand over and ruffling the brown spikes of hair on Sora's head before letting his laughter trail down to a low chuckle. "Of course I was, you dork. I had no _idea_ where you were. I mean, as far as any of us knew, you were **completely** alone in some **completely** alien place. ...Well... for _you_ anyway." Riku smirked as he caught sight of Sora's pout from the corner of his eye. "All we could really do was hope you'd stay put until we got back to the train station after the competition.

"Quistis was being her usual cheery self, going on and on about how you'd purposely bailed out just because you were afraid. You know, her old stupid rant and everything." Riku sighed, looking at the crystal clear sky as he spoke. "Leon and Cloud were pretty much the only people who were able to not flip about it, but then again, they were the drum majors. I guess that's what they were supposed to do, huh?"

Sora nodded forcefully, their coupled arms swinging back and forth with the pace of their step. A passing thought caused Sora to just glance down at their feet, just for one moment. Grinning, Sora looked back up at the sky. Perfectly in step, absolutely in sync with one another, just as he'd thought.

"But the competition was nearly a month ago, Sora," Riku said, turning to look at the younger boy once again. Sora simply shrugged.

"I guess I just forgot to ask you, is all."

"Mm."

"...Hey Riku?"

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna miss them. Leon, Cloud, Paine... All the seniors. I mean, if you think about it, we're probably not gonna seen 'em again." It wasn't just the fact that he was going to miss the friendship the upperclassmen had had with him. It was also the fact that Sora was slowly beginning to realize that in another year, that would be _Riku_ graduating. It would be Riku leaving and going to college saying goodbye to Sora and possibly never seeing him ever again...

_No, that's stupid. Of course I'll see Riku again._

They were childish thoughts, so the only way Sora could think to calm himself down was to think childish reasoning. And the simplest way of looking at it and presenting it to himself was that he and Riku would always be friends. There just wouldn't be a way around it. That was just the way things were.

Riku and Sora reached the school several minutes later and were greeted by masses upon masses of people, all of them bustling towards the football stadium. Since the weather had taken pity on them after almost a week of rain earlier, the school had decided to host the graduation outside, setting up rows of chairs for the graduating class on the field and allowing parents, relatives, and other students that chose to come to sit in the bleachers.

As they fell in with the rest of the crowd, Sora found himself eagerly looking around for the black caps and gowns of the seniors, but they were nowhere in sight.

"They're going to walk on after we're all seated, Sora," Riku said, pulling the younger boy along with him so they didn't hold up the flow of bumbling grandparents who just wanted to see their sweet little grandchildren take one more step in growing up. Riku being who he was, he was able to smile and charm his way past a good chunk of the crowd, leading both him and Sora towards a relatively decent pair of seats on the far side of the stadium.

"This way we can hear the speakers better..." Another glance at Sora proved to Riku that the younger boy probably wasn't even listening that closely anymore. His eyes were still flitting from here to there, looking for any sign that the seniors would be heading out onto the field then.

_He really is gonna miss them, huh?_

"Hey, everyone. We all know who I am, so I'm just gonna skip that part... Let's see... We all know who you are, I'm gonna skip _that_ part. We all know how people will say and continue to say that these are the best years of our lives and we all know how we'll continue to bicker with them about it for years to come, until we're finally old and cripple. Maybe then we'll know that they really were good times."

_Shaking his head, hair flying about as a result, Sora's eyes snapped up to blink at Riku before he grinned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here, I'm here. I was just waiting for you."_

_ "Well if you wait much longer, we'll be late for gym. Blitzball today, you ready for it?"_

"After four years of brutal and inhuman torture, we're finally done here. Yeah, lots of us have at least four more years to look at, but another thing we all know is that it's going to be different. We're not going to know everyone where we're going. We're not going to know everything like we do now, right?"

_"Oooh, whatcha writing?"_

_ Paine paused, the notebook half closed. Looking up at Sora, she again paused, probably once more asking herself if she should continue to just open up to Sora like she had been doing. It was ridiculously out of character for her, as far as Paine was concerned, but she realized that aside from personality, Sora had a lot in common with her. He'd even had the trust in her not to breathe a word of his love for Riku to anyone, and Paine had bestowed the same trust in him with her own feelings for Rikku._

_ "It's a song..." _

_ "Hey, I didn't know you wrote music! What's it about? Can I read it?" Sora's blue eyes looked pleadingly down at Paine who scoffed in response._

_ "You don't read songs, Sora."_

_ "...Oh. Right! ...You don't?"_

_ "No. It's a song, you sing it."_

_ Sora rocked back and forth on his heels. "But I can't sing. However, I can read, so can I read it then? Oh wait, can you sing, Paine?"_

_ Paine narrowed her eyes and tossed the notebook at Sora. "Fine, you can read it."_

"We probably won't spend too many more weekends waking up on Saturday morning and trudging downstairs, turning on the TV and watching Loony Toons or whatever. There might not be many more times we can tear up the rug on some dance floor, insisting that each and every song that comes out of the speakers is _our_ song and that _we're_ meant to dance to it. There might not ever be any more times like those in our lives."

_"Don't you trust me, Sora?"_

_ Sora's eyes widened, looking up at the half-masked "stranger." "R-Riku?" Sora honestly couldn't decide if this was the best or worst thing that could happen. Yes, it had been Riku he'd been dancing with, but he had also stopped dancing with that very same Riku. Gah! Stupid, stupid, stupid! But... Riku knew he was Sora. So then that meant..._

_ "Keep going, Sora. You don't just stop dancing in the middle of a song." _

"I'm not gonna stand up here and feed you all a bunch of junk about great we are and how we can be anything we want. We know that, too. We know the old routine about how we're not supposed to do drugs and how we're supposed to stand up for what we believe in, no matter what."

_"Neeeh, whatever, whatever, whatever.__ Stoic bastard." Turning back to Sora, Cloud rolled his eyes in __Leon__'s direction mockingly. "You get used to it after a while. Point is, just know that you're not totally alone out there, okay, Sora? Yeah, there's a lot of idiots on band, but there's also a lot of people cheering for you, Leon and I included!" Sora smiled up at Cloud and said the only thing he could think of. _

_"Thank you."_

"We learned all this stuff back in elementary school. Maybe the only purpose middle school and high school served was to help us apply all those random little bits of knowledge until they were so drilled into our heads, there was no way they'd come out."

_"Prove what?" Sora asked hesitantly._

_ "That you're not scared. Come on, Sora, you can't possibly be scared of having to prove you're not scared."_

_ "I'm not!"_

_ "Then what are you waiting for?"_

_ "I'm not waiting."_

_ "You're stalling."_

_ "I'm not stalling!"_

_ "You're doing it right now."_

_ "Then stop talking!" In a haze of blind panic, Sora closed the small distance between then, bringing their lips together in one smooth, fluent motion. _

"And maybe... Even though these are the best years of our lives and all that junk... maybe there are some things we regret, some things we couldn't do, that we would go back and change if we could. But the truth of the matter is this: we can't."

_ Leon's feet hit the sidewalk, but he didn't stop running. Everyone was on the bus, they were going to close the doors. And to add more evidence to __Leon__'s growing belief that he was losing his mind, the only thing he could think of was the old little nursery rhyme._

_ Run, run, run as fast as you can..._

_ Come on, __Leon__. Just a few more steps. That door won't close without you. Cloud won't leave without you because Cloud is always there. He will never leave._

"We can grow older and we can get to know everything else, but we will never know why everything turned out the way it did, for better or for worse. We can graduate and we can go out and do anything we want, but we will never be able to change what has already happened. But it happened for a reason."

_"You really are a riot, __Leon__. I mean, wow. What a--" Cloud let out a shaky sigh, trying to regain control of his vocal chords. "Let me put it this way. 'Well it's tough to have a crush when the boy doesn't feel the same way you feel. Well it's tough to have a crush, when you're best friend breaks the news.'"_

_ Leon frowned slightly, confused._

_ "Doesn't ring a bell, huh? Try thinking really, really hard, __Leon__, and maybe someday you'll get it. Maybe when you stop being the antisocial, stoic, icicle you are, maybe then you'll get it." Cloud was no longer making an effort to hold his tears back and they flowed freely in thin rivers down the sides of his cheeks, mixing together with the sweet rain water. "But I'm not always going to hang around and wait for you to get it."_

"So in a few hours when you're talking to people on the phone who couldn't make it today and they want to know how graduation went, how school was... all of that. You can just tell them that you graduated knowing something, which you did. If you're like me, it's not everything you wanted, but it's something."

_"How can you be so uncaring? All I've ever done is try to be fucking nice to you! So why do you hate me?" Inside his head, Cloud's own mind was laughing at him, sending out melodramatic warning signs by the boatload. Cloud was, however, far past caring what was or wasn't overly dramatic. He figured he'd been juggling all the self-restraint he could handle for the past three years..._

_ "I don't hate you."_

"And who knows. Maybe there will be another time when we can all hang out with our old friends and waste our Saturday nights away in front of a stereo and living on a dance floor. Every song you'll ever hear is _our_ song, and really, this is only _one_ of them that's ending."

He smiled then, a small smile that was more felt rather than it was seen. Cloud stepped away from the podium, looking out at the friends he'd made over the years, and in the split second before they stood up, he thought he'd never been happier.

"And with that, it's my honor to present to you... the class of 2004!" The principal somehow managed to make himself heard over the roar of the seniors, cheering and applauding Cloud's words, Cloud's simplicity, and the plain and simple fact that it was finally all over. The din was deafening, but no one cared.

It was really over.

x x x

"Sora!"

Sora flinched at the voice that reached his ears, suddenly afraid to turn around. The seniors were filtering out of the school one by one for the last time, giving the underclassmen their final farewells and taking a moment or two or bring closure to their high school days.

Quistis somehow seemed to deem it the opportune moment to break away from her string of friends and meander towards Riku and Sora, pointedly ignoring the vile look Riku was giving her as she approached. Her gaze was fully on Sora, a purpose was held in her stride, and really, if Sora hadn't held such a dislike for her, he would've said she looked impressive.

Like the rest of the senior class, Quistis was dressed in the loose-fitting black robes the school sold for graduates, her hair pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Gone were her slim glasses, replaced with contacts. Just as the glasses had disappeared, so had the look contempt she held whenever she set eyes upon Sora and Riku. Instead...

"I just wanna talk a minute, okay?"

"Oh. O-kaaay."

"You did good this year. In guard and everything."

Sora continued to gape at the girl as though she was speaking Latin. A very, _very_ dead language.

"So anyway, just wanted to leave off and make sure there's no hard feelings or anything, 'kay?"

And though Sora was somehow aware of the fact that his mouth had dropped open, no words were managing to come out. Thankfully, Riku picked up the reins and took over. ...Though, really, he was just as stunned as Sora.

"But... you hated our _guts_," Riku stated numbly.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Quistis rolled her eyes dramatically, both hands flying to her hips and one foot beginning to tap impatiently against the parking lot of the school. "Hey, I just wanted to bring all this to a conclusion, got it?"

Both boys nodded in unison.

"So that's that."

Nod, nod, nod.

"Alright then, kids. See ya at Homecoming. Stay gold, huh?" And just like that, it was over. Sora and Riku stood stock still in the middle of the parking lot as Quistis strode past them to catch up with her own crowd, acting as though nothing remarkable or out-of-the-ordinary had taken place. And somehow, neither Sora nor Riku would've expected anything less.

"That was cool."

"Yeah." Sora grinned, an odd feeling of accomplishment settling over him as he looked up at Riku. "It was."

x x x

_When I think about it... How many more times am I really gonna get to see this guy?_

Music pulsed in the background, moving bodies and a din of voices being the only thing to pierce through the fog shrouded over Cloud's brain. Paine had been the one to suggest all of this, oddly enough. And the whole gang was all there, out on the dance floor at the Split Key.

_And how many more times and I really going to be able to do this?__ Spend an entire night out having fun with all of my old friends... _

_ Are they already 'old?' _

Sora, Riku, and the rest of the underclassmen that had accompanied them had long since gone home, seeing as they all had finals to take the next morning. Summer was already well on its way, that fact only becoming more obvious as Cloud plopped down on the curb outside of the Split Key, resting his elbows on his knees, his chin in his clasped hands, and just simply giving himself a moment to think.

The year had gone by really fast. That was all there was to say. He'd always reassured himself by thinking 'It's okay, it's okay, I've got another day, another week, another _month_ to do all these things. There's no hurry, none at all.' But here it was. _This_ was their last official bang. It was all over after this. And he hadn't realized until that moment... there was a lot of truth in the words he'd spoken up at the podium that afternoon.

_I'm gonna miss everyone... **Damn**, am I gonna miss them._

"It's sort of hits a bittersweet note, I guess."

Cloud's breath caught in his throat and his eyes flew open, though he was afraid to turn around. All he could do was stare at the pavement, listen to the hum of cars as they sped past him, feel the distant throb of the music coming from the club. And if he focused hard enough, he was certain that he could feel the air change as Leon walked over towards him, hands tucked into his pockets, sneakers dragging across the sidewalk.

There was suddenly a large chorus of protest inside Cloud, wanting to snap at Leon, yell at him to go away. If this conversation and this farewell never took place, Cloud would have something then. He would have something to do and something to wait for. But if this was really all they would get as a goodbye...

"Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"...Nothing. Just making sure you were awake."

"I wouldn't fall asleep. Not here, at least."

"That's always good."

A thick silence hung in the air and Cloud _hated_ it. _There's no way it's really over. There's just no way._

"...Do you think things could've been different if maybe--"

"Cloud... Don't bring it up. Not now."

"Well what do you want me to say then? _Goodbye_?"

"It's a start."

"Well you can just _forget_ it. It's not happening."

Instantly, Cloud regretted the words. Leon had done nothing to deserve that treatment and he knew it. _But isn't this what we've wanted all along? No one comes to high school and wants to stay there forever... _Cloud thought and thought, unable to ignore Leon's presence only a few feet away, but unable to acknowledge it either. It was just as it had always been, though now it seemed their roles were switched.

For once, it was Cloud who was silent. And for once it was Leon who wanted to talk and wanted to end it.

"Leon, it's not even like it's goodbye!" Cloud's hands flew at a will of their own, erratically waving in front of him, trying to make a point, but failing miserably. There was no sense in the motions, only desperation. "I mean, we can still see each other this summer, you know? _You know?_ You're not doing anything... You never do anything! It's not... This isn't..."

Cloud's voice trailed off into silence, his hands slowing and then stopping, fingers curling into loose fists which he cradled in his lap, head bowed in submission to something he'd known was coming for a long, long time. Everything he'd said only moments ago was wrong. It was a lie and both of them knew it.

"...It's really over, huh?"

Leon nodded, and though Cloud couldn't see the motion, he knew it was there. Cloud stared fixedly at his clasped hands, somehow hoping that they'd give him an answer to everything. But really, he knew it was hopeless.

"I'll... um..." Leon made an attempt at those words, but failed miserably, his voice barely carrying over the small space between the two ex-drum majors. As simple as that, he turned away and began his trek down the sidewalk, hoping that the words he'd left unsaid would somehow manage to speak for themselves.

"Leon!"

"Hm?"

"...Can..." Cloud swallowed hard, though continued to stare at his hands, refusing to meet Leon's gaze with his own. "Can you sit with me here? Just for a little while?"

"...Sure."

Hours flew by and little by little the senior class began to dribble out of the Split Key, pausing to say farewell to Leon and Cloud before they left for good. None of the goodbyes were long and drawn out, for there was somehow the common belief that the two boys wanted to spend time alone. And occasionally there was a small cluster of people who would linger in the shadows, waiting and watching, hoping for something to happen.

But it didn't.

With time, the bystanders left and the once lively night began its transformation into the deserted morning hours. The streets emptied, the lights dimmed, and still the blond flute player and the stormy-eyed trumpet player sat side by side, neither one saying a word.

x x x

"Sora?"

"Hey Riku."

Riku cautiously stepped further into the darkened band room, easily spotting his boyfriend's figure even in the darkness. It was hard to mistake the darkened and spiky silhouette standing out against the trophy cabinet and Riku couldn't help the small smile that crept upon his face. Sora looked so small and so... _awed_, just standing there staring through the dark surrounding them, eyes glued to the sleek surfaces of the plaques and trophies, the only things marring their perfect surfaces being the engraved dates and names that would be there forever.

"Your mom said you headed up here... But, uh... it's only five in the morning, Sora."

"I know."

"..."

"I'm gonna miss 'em, Riku."

"I know. ...Me too."

"And... I wouldn't have known any of them if it wasn't for you, ya know. The whole band thing..." Sora smiled, turning slightly to look at Riku as the silver haired boy came up to stand beside him. "Thanks, Riku. For bringing me into it."

Riku simply grinned and pulled Sora into a firm hug, relishing the momentary reminder that Sora was his. Whether or not the experience in the band would have changed that or not, it was still one of the many truths of the world and Riku was determined to hold onto it for as long as he could. Letting out a low chuckle at his own thoughts, Riku turned his head slightly to peer at their reflection on the glass of the award cabinet, barely visible in the darkened room.

"Hey Sora."

"Hm?"

"Look."

Turning his head to the side, Sora giggled at the image they created, Riku's arms wrapped around him, his palms stretching out from his back, looking like small and rather odd little wings. Sora stuck his tongue out at the reflection, only burrowing himself deeper into the soft fabric of Riku's shirt.

"I'm not an angel or anything, ya know."

"Yeah, well, you're as close as the world's ever gonna--" Riku paused mid-sentence, frowning slightly and cocking his head to the side.

"Riku, wha--?"

"Shh! Do you hear that?"

Sure enough, a faint melody drifted into the room, though it was over in a flash. Seconds later, however, it was picked up again, though slightly faster, slightly stronger.

"Wait... do you think that that's...?"

"Yeah. I think so."

Making their way towards the doorway to the band room, Riku and Sora peered curiously through the doorway, silent as they could be and hoping for all they were worth that they wouldn't be seen, lest they shatter the moment and the picture unfurling before them.

Propped up against the lockers lining the band hall, Cloud and Leon stood across from one another, the notes of the Carnival of Venice twisting through the air, rising above them in a torrent of music and feeling. The notes and sounds themselves would no doubt stay embedded in the walls of the building long after those minutes spent between Leon and Cloud, long after they'd left for college, perhaps long after they'd graduated from there too. It was their last competition and possibly their last argument, though rather than words, they simply used music, as beautiful and pure as anything Sora had ever heard before.

Sora tugged gently on Riku's sleeve, motioning him back into the band room with a jerk of his head. The last thing he wanted to do was to soil the moment between Cloud and Leon, the one they'd been deprived of for so long. Taking Riku's hand in his own, he pulled the older boy back towards their spot in front of the trophy cabinet, smiling once more as Riku resumed his embrace from behind, his chin resting on Sora's shoulder as they both looked at the cabinet again.

"They deserved it, don't you think?" Sora whispered.

"Yeah. They really did." Both of them regarded the newest edition to the trophy cabinet, a gleaming golden trophy resting dead center of the large display. "They really, really did."

Outside in the hallway, the Carnival of Venice came to an end, Leon and Cloud removing their instruments from their lips as the last notes of their final duet spun out into silence. With the briefest exchange of glances, there was somehow a mutual agreement that the two came to. But just as many things were, it was not for the rest of the world to know. It was something between Leon and Cloud alone, and that was where it would stay. No matter where they ended up.

So it was that they both left then, each headed in separate directions, no more words exchanged. The music had said all there was to say. For both of them, it was finally over.

There were no words needed and there were no words that could be used, only the music that still rung in their ears as they left the high school early that morning.

(x) (x) (x)

Sorry I didn't update as soon as I'd promised. Oi. Well, here's the deal. I don't know how this week's homework situation is going to fall or anything, but if I don't have much, I'm going to try and get the epilogue up sometime around Thursday/Friday. Roughly. There was going to be another chapter between this and the epilogue, but now that I think about it, it would be short and pointless anyway. Ah well. The next chapter is the last one. (Though I'm considering writing a bonus chapter thingy way, way later on, maybe around winter vacation time.)

...Heh. I did the cheap thing and used flashbacks again. Only since this fic is so old and lots of people haven't read some of the scenes I used in a while, I think it actually helped here. XD Cloud is my speechmaking bitch.

--Ori


	19. Epilogue: Thank You for the Music

**One for the Band - Chapter Nineteen**

'Epilogue: Thank You for the Music'

Sora couldn't help but smile to himself as he folded up sweater upon sweater, cramming them all into an already bulging duffel bag. It'd been hard enough to hunt down the warm clothing on the tropical islands, but, as always, Bryna had come through. And now Sora could eagerly look forward to spending his last few days of summer vacation catching up with some old friends.

But then again, you know what they say about old friends.

Sitting firmly on the bag, Sora zipped it shut and let out a pleased sigh, flinging his arms up into the air and stretching leisurely. His room looked rather bare, the posters stripped from the wall, the bookshelf almost completely empty. Gone was the haven he'd spent his childhood in, studying with Riku, making up games with Riku, making _out_ with Riku... Sora giggled at this thought and a grin made itself at home on his face, just like it always did.

College, huh? He'd never really thought the day would come. It seemed like only yesterday they'd all been together. All of his old friends... Sora shook his head. They weren't so old. You _know_ what they say about old friends.

Getting onto his hands and knees, Sora crawled over towards the foot of his bed where he spied a sock that apparently hadn't quite made it into the duffel bag. Pulling up the comforter that just barely dusted the floor, Sora smirked to himself, picking up yet another sock. And another and another and...

Wait...

Fingertips brushing over a smooth hard surface, Sora blinked confusedly before clearing away the old papers and discarded clothing. A marbled surface greeted his gaze, bent and withered pages sticking out at odd angles, the notebook abused from years of being forgotten, left for lost under the depths of Sora bed. _Paine's notebook... I can't believe I still have this thing! _

Folding his legs beneath him, Sora could only gawk at the pages that brought back memory upon memory, one after another in a massive torrent that he could barely comprehend. Late night practice sessions with Paine, helping him to make the team, giving him advice, smiling, grinning, being the Paine that so few ever saw.

Telling him about Rikku. Encouraging him to do something about Riku...

_You know what they say about old friends._

Her neat and precise handwriting arched across the lined pages of the notebook, words or lyrics occasionally scratched out by one single line and ignored, better phrases and sayings taking their place and turning words into poetry, poetry into beauty. Just like he had been all those years ago, Sora was nothing short of amazed.

"Sora, you ready to go?" Sora turned his head towards the partially open bedroom door, grinning as Sam's voice drifted up from downstairs. "Your mom's in the car already and says that if you don't hurry up she'll drive off without you!"

"You can't go to _my_ college without _me_!"

"Try telling _her_ that!"

With a chuckle, Sora took one last look at the notebook before tucking it under his arm and grabbing his duffel bag with his free hand.

...So. College. The idea wasn't as scary as it once had been.

Sneakers pounding lightly on the staircase, Sora caught up with Sam and the two talked amiably, making their way out to the car. He'd never had much trouble adjusting to life with his stepfather. Strangely enough, he'd actually been happier with things the way they'd been in the past two years... Bryna was happy, Sam was happy... Raigh and his family had even made a sudden appearance in Sora's life and though it wasn't a large role that they played, it was a role all the same and Sora knew that somehow his father was happy as well.

So it would only stand to reason that Sora would find happiness in a world where everyone around him seemed to stand in buckets of that one little raw emotion.

...There would be a new color guard where he was going. Another marching band, another football field, more competitions, more flags, more... _everything_.

And as Sora closed the door to the car behind him, so many thoughts began fighting for a place in his mind at once, it became difficult for Sora to make sense of them. College, dorm-life... what would that all be like? His neighborhood he'd spent his entire life growing up in was flying past his window, but there wasn't any sort of sad or regretful tone in the wind that brushed easily past the window. It simply smiled and bade Sora a simple farewell, saying that it would see him soon.

It was really just that easy, apparently.

The drive was a long one, taking the small family across the island and to the docks, onto the ferry that carried them up to Traverse Town. There was a drive from there to Destati and there was a foreign silence that fell upon the car's occupants as the vehicle rounded the corner, bringing Sora to what would be his new home.

Destati University.

Raigh and his wife and two daughters were all there, happily helping him unpack and talking easily with Bryna and Sam. Throngs of students milled around, papers clutched desperately in their hands as they looked around the chaos and felt so misplaced that they were all wondering how they would ever find a home in this new place. It was completely alien to many of them and it was undoubtedly completely _terrifying_ as well.

"Sora!"

"Riku!"

And then there were the two boys who drew stares and puzzled looks as they practically flew across the crowded grounds, slamming into each other in what must have been a painfully bone-crushing embrace. New students like Sora smiled and exchanged hesitant glances with one another, somehow reassured by even that small display that it wouldn't be foreign forever and that they'd adjust.

They'd all adjusted to high school, right?

"I thought you were supposed to call me before you showed up!"

"Sorry! I guess I kinda forgot, huh?"

"Which house are you in? Come on, you promised you'd tell me..."

"Hehehe, take a wiiiiild guess."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"Prescott?!"

"Yep!"

"Hahaaa! This is _great_! I'm right down the hall and... and... holy shit. You're going to **love** it."

"I know."

As far as reunions went, it was low key. Hell, to some, it was probably even _off_ key. But for Sora and Riku, they'd just picked up right from where they'd left off, never missing a beat as they strode energetically down the hallway, Riku happily showing off the campus that he himself had grown to know and love over the last year.

And it was as though nothing had changed...

Riku's hair had grown longer still, pulled back in a low ponytail that hung languidly at the nape of his neck. A simple dark blue t-shirt hung from his lithe frame, jeans and sneakers carelessly thrown on that very morning before Riku had left his dorm in a rush to get a look at all the new, incoming students.

And of course, one in particular.

Pausing mid-stride, Riku grabbed Sora's arm, pulling the other boy to a halt beside him. It was almost as though it was an afterthought, something that had almost slipped Riku's mind, but not quite.

"...I'm really glad to have you here, you know."

"Well I'm glad to be here, ya know."

"...That's good."

"Hey Riku?'

"Hm?"

"...You're crushing my arm."

"Sorry."

You know what they say about old friends.

"Hey Sora..?"

"Yeah?"

"...Nevermind."

"..."

"..."

"...Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

They're the best kind of friend you'll ever get.

x x x

Summer has a way of drawing up memories that were, at one point, perhaps, forgotten. Maybe it's the lazy haze that falls over everything right before school starts. Maybe it's the heat that hangs in the air, the wind that picks up the noises and laughter that drown out the rest of the sounds of the city, the squeal of tires and the drone of shoes clacking against sidewalks as people bustle off to work, completely oblivious to everything except the lingering heat and the day ahead of them.

Whatever it was, Sora was flooded with memories as he stared at the pair of tickets in his hands.

Riku looked up from Sora's bed, which he'd spent the afternoon sprawled across, catching up on nothing in particular with his younger boyfriend. Upon spying the envelope in Sora's hands, the amazed look on the brunette's face... Riku couldn't help but beam. Of course Sora was excited and thrilled. Riku had helped Raigh pick out the tickets, after all.

"Dad, I..."

"I thought it would be a nice way to welcome you to Destati! Nothing better than a bit of music a little reunion with a couple old friends, right?" Raigh grinned, tucking his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he proudly watched his son's eyes widen, reading and rereading the words printed clearly on the tickets.

Just who's concert was Sora holding the tickets for?

Go on. Take a wild guess.

x x x

"Heee-eey! Sora, Riku! Over here!" Both boys turn their heads in unison towards the voice that somehow manages to carry itself over the din surrounding them. Two familiar faces greet their eyes, blonde strands of hair catching the lights from the stage as Rikku and Cloud wave them over. The concert has yet to begin, but already there are clusters of people swarming around, searching for their seats and babbling excitedly amongst themselves.

"Long time no see, huh?" Cloud grins at the two younger boys, though they've long since grown as tall as him, Riku even growing an inch or so taller. Cloud decides not to comment on it, but that fact just unnerves him a little bit. Just a _little_.

x x x

_Sora flipped through the pages of the notebook, a pen dangling lazily in his grip, one foot swinging slowly back and forth off the side of the bed. Headphones clamped securely around his ears, music pulsed into his head and pulsed into his blood, filling his mind with the words and teasing his memories with the voice he'd once spent hours listening to and talking to. _

_ A voice that was now rising in fame and would probably continue to shout its song out into the crowd for many more years to come._

x x x

_"You tell me not to call you up_

_'Cause it ties you down_

_You don't tell your friends_

_I been hangin' round_

_You must be crazy for me"_

Somewhere in the mass of screaming and dancing fans, pumping fists and swaying bodies, Cloud, Riku, Sora, and Rikku manage to find their place. There are three pairs of eyes from the group that are riveted to the lone figure up on the stage, the girl with the guitar who is giving it all she's got and knowing that it's good.

And three pairs of ears are listening and are filled with music and voice and everything that Paine will ever want to do with her life, everything she wants to make herself into. She hasn't changed in two years at all, her silver hair still cropped short, her crimson eyes still holding the same grip on anyone she set their gaze on. And she still had an air that surrounded her, demanding a respect and acknowledgement that always came.

But one pair of eyes strayed and one pair of ears was listening and hoping for a different voice to come through the crowd.

_"You say you'll see me once or twice_

_Every week or two_

_There's more important things_

_That you've got to do_

_You must crazy for me"_

x x x

_With a small sigh, Sora thumbed through the pages of the notebook, reveling in the words that flew off the pages and caught his eye. The smell of black ink still clung to the notebook, the aroma lifting into the small dorm room and flitting from wall to wall, curiously observing the teenage boy still sprawled across the bed. _

_ And when Sora's idle leafing through the pages came to an end, his eyes widened as his gaze fell on the last page of the notebook, filled with the neat and perfect writing of Paine's that had remained hidden in the back of the book for nearly two entire years. It was a letter..._

x x x

_"Cause when I kissed you last night_

_In my own backyard_

_You ran so fast and you fought so hard_

_You must be crazy for me_

_You must be crazy for me"_

With every strum of the guitar and every burst of song that came from Paine's mouth there became a more desperate look in Cloud's eyes as he scanned the crowd. Familiar faces dotted the throng of people... Yuffie's black mop of hair standing beside the shorter and red-haired Kairi, both of them happily singing along to the tune they'd heard on the radio, the voice they'd heard in their high school...

Selphie, Tidus... How did they all manage to make it up to Destati just for one concert?

And... why wasn't Leon there?

_"Do not expect you to wait_

_Do not expect you to phone_

_Do not expect anything_

_When I catch you alone, baby_

_You must be crazy for me"_

x x x

_ Dear Sora,_

_ By now I'm wondering if you've reached this page because you've filled the book with your own writing or because you're just bored and looking through the old thing. I guess I'm hoping you'll take the time to write some of the things you're thinking down... You may think they're stupid, but really, they're not._

_ And trust me, I think I'd know. I'm the one who stayed up into the wee hours of the morning practicing with you and listening to all your thoughts. I really don't think you give yourself enough credit, Sora. It's corny, I know, but you're really important to me. And you don't realize it, but you're a big part of the reason I was able to get together with Rikku. So thank you for that. Really._

_ I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at through all this. I just sort of felt that I had to leave a note or something. I have no idea. Whatever. I might as well finish what I started._

x x x

_"I know, I know you're crazy for me_

_You must be crazy for me_

_I know you're crazy for me_

_Crazy for me..."_

Cloud blinks back numbly at his reflection, marred by the pools of oil that had settled on the surface of the puddle, swirls of gasoline distorting his features and turning his truly pretty face into a rather grotesque smear of color and light. Looking away, Cloud sighs and tucked his hands into his pockets. Why had he walked out...?

He's standing outside of the concert hall that still thrums with the music and energy leaking from inside. The words and song still reach his ears and still begged for him to come back inside and be with his old friends once again, just like old times. Old, old, old. It was just like high school, minus one very important thing.

_I wonder... where __Leon__ is. What he's up to. Does he know about Paine and what she's up to? Does he hear her singing on the radio and get the same nostalgic feeling I do? That I'm not doing enough with my life or... that I'm not trying hard enough? Look at her and how far she's come... Why can't that be me?_

And to Cloud, it's all true. Paine has her fairytale ending with Rikku by her side, fulfilling her dreams and living her life to its fullest. She's in control just like she's always been and she knows how to handle herself and those around her. She's doing something she loves and she's with someone she loves and as far as Cloud can see, everything for Paine is picture perfect.

So what about Cloud?

Destati's lights glow in the late night, the streets filled with people out enjoying the early fall season. It's not crowded as Cloud stands there on the corner, but he can't decide whether he feels like he's suffocating or dying from isolation. And he knows he's feeling sorry for himself but he knows he just can't help it.

It's not Cloud's fault that things didn't work out the way he wanted them to. Perhaps the only thing that is his fault is how he let himself get his hopes up. How he allowed himself to believe that he might see Leon again and that even after all these years, he might have a chance...

_I wonder if Leon ever misses me..._

x x x

_"Well wow. Where to start..."_

_ I've got a lot to thank you for, Sora. Everyone does really. I don't think you even know just how much of a difference you made in the school in just this year alone. So let's see... Where can I begin?_

_ For starters, you've obviously revolutionized the structure of the color guard. It desperately needed to be changed anyway. You're going to run into people like Quistis and you're going to run into people like Kosha. I don't know why they exist, really, but they obviously do. For all the shit they've put you through, you've handled it graciously, so I thank you for that too. _

_ You really proved you can do whatever you want to if you just try. And I can honestly say that you are probably the best new edition the guard has. No doubt about it. _

_"I guess I should thank all of you guys for showing up. So thanks, everyone. ...I'm not used to this either, so bare with me, okay?"_

_ And I guess what I really want to thank you for is for just being you, Sora. You're an amazing person and a true friend. Thank you for all the times you've made me smile and for all the times you've made me laugh. For all the times you cheered me up without knowing it and for how you always supported me, again, even if you didn't know it. _

_"Okay, whatever. I'm just glad you all showed up tonight."_

x x x

It's a light cough from somewhere behind him that stirs Cloud from his hazy trance. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Cloud buries himself deeper into the warmth of his coat, waiting for the next cab to speed on around the bend. Though he doesn't want to, Cloud will probably leave the concert for good.

He's thinking he has some strange complex in which if everything isn't perfect, it's just no good at all. And he knows that's a lie. But he can't help but think it.

Another cough and Cloud turns with a slight touch of annoyance to see who is disturbing his solitude. And of course, we all know who he sees standing only a few feet away, stormy gray eyes instantly honing in on Cloud's own blue ones.

What we don't know is what will happen. So pressing pause on Cloud's own picture perfect moment, let me tell you just what is about to unfold.

Cloud will stare at Leon and Leon will stare back. Both will be afraid to say something to the other, to reach out a hand towards the other. Both will fear the moment will shatter into a million pieces and something will be broken that cannot be repaired or replaced.

But what will happen is this...

x x x

_"So I guess I'll stop stalling and get to the song you all want to hear, right?"_

x x x

Cloud will give Leon a shaky smile and wait. He won't wait because he's hoping something will happen. He will wait because waiting is just what Cloud has grown accustomed to doing. He has been waiting for Leon for years and it is only second nature for him to continue waiting. Hoping? Not always. But always, always waiting.

And when Leon realizes that he is going to have to do something now or risk losing the opportunity to do something at all, he will take a deep breath and his glance will falter, his gaze flickering down towards the damp concrete, still glistening from the earlier rain that had fallen upon the city. And he falters because Leon is only human and faltering is just what humans do sometimes.

x x x

_ Cutting all the flattery down to a minimum, I'll wrap it up with this. _

_ I am so glad to have known you. And I am so thankful for you being Sora. _

_ So here's my final thank you. _

_ Thank you, Sora._

_ --Paine_

x x x

_"But before I do... I'd just like to say one more thing, okay?"_

"Cloud... I... It's... good to see you again." The words will barely be audible, but Cloud will hear them. He hasn't yet forgotten how to deal with Leon and how to talk with Leon, though both things certainly required years and years of driven practice and determination. And no matter how jaded Cloud may have found himself feeling in the years since his graduation day, Cloud will still have everything it takes to know and understand the stony brunette.

"Yeah... I've missed you Leon."

"...I've... missed... you too..."

Leon will look up then and in just one fleeting moment he will finally make a decision. He will find that he's tired of waiting around and doing nothing. He will find that he's tired of excuses and he's tired of being lonely. And perhaps he will know exactly what to do and exactly how to make things right.

Whether or not he will know it, he will nonetheless manage to finally do the right thing.

"Cloud... I'm sorry I always drowned you out. I... Would you believe me if I told you that I don't want to anymore?" Leon's voice will be unabashedly desperate, pleading for a forgiveness that Leon will still think he has never earned. "Would you believe me if I told you... that I really... do love you?"

And once a moment of tenseness and unbearable nervousness has passed, let me tell you what will happen.

Cloud will smile and he will walk towards Leon and nod. He will simply say, "Yeah, I'd believe you." And Cloud will wonder if his heart will burst as he hears the thundering in his ears, the pulse of blood fixing to the beat that will still pour out of the concert hall behind them. But it won't matter because Leon will finally smile and finally pull Cloud into an embrace they'd both wanted for so long.

And when they're both satisfied with one another and reassured by the presence of one another, they'll both turn in unison and head back into the concert hall, one hand clutching another with no sign of letting go.

_"I'd like to dedicate the next song... This one's for the band."_

(x) (x) (x)

Whoooot! Okay. The song snippets used were all by Melissa Etheridge, of course. 'You Must Be Crazy For Me,' obviously.

And that brings OftB to its long-awaited closure. XD I hope you all enjoyed it! I can now finally return to working on Raspberry Heaven and Lucky Thirteen, but I have to admit that this fic has definitely been fun to write. Learned a lot along the way, so hopefully there's a significant difference between the first few beginning chapters and these final ones. ...And hopefully it's a good difference. XD So keep a look out for updates in RH and LT. Now that it's back to just two fics, who knows. There might be a third coming up soon!

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers who helped make this fun to write. Love you aaaaall.

--Ori


End file.
